House Majority Leader Mike Sanders, R-Kingfisher, recently spoke to this year’s White House interns in Washington D.C., a diverse group of law students, attorneys, undergrads, members of the military and others from all across the country.

Sanders served as director of interns for the President George W. Bush White House, which led to a friendship with the current director, Adrienne Schrodt.

When she asked him to speak to this year’s class, he said he was happy to comply.

“I passed along some stories from my time there,” he said, “including my experience on Sept. 11, 2001. I also gave them some advice as they enjoy what is the most coveted and desired internship in the world.”

Sanders told his audience his first piece of advice was to “never brag on themselves. Let their work ethic stand for itself. Never get out-hustled or out-worked. Be the first to arrive; show up every day; and be the last to leave.”

Another tidbit was to never send an email with content that would embarrass them or their family if it were to end up on the front page of the Washington Post.

He told them never to compromise their principles and to always follow their moral compass – always.

He said not to be a “‘yes man,’ there are plenty of those already. Instead, be a leader.”

And he suggested that when they’ve met with a leader of state to always send a handwritten note.

“It’s a nice, personal touch,” he said.

Sanders said he spoke for about 20 minutes to the 95 interns in this fall’s class.

Then he answered their questions. They asked what he considered some of his most significant legislation.

He told them about DUI reforms that have saved lives in Oklahoma. He also told them about several dyslexia bills that in their own way will save the lives of children struggling in school.

One of the most poignant moments came when Sanders recounted his experience on 9-11, a point brought into even sharper focus as he spoke on Sept. 18, just seven days after the anniversary.

Sept. 11, 2001, was the second day on the job for the interns under Sanders at the White House.

He recalled it was a “beautiful day, nothing out of the ordinary.”

He arrived at work about 7:30 a.m. with other colleagues arriving shortly after.

“Then 8:46 arrived,” he said. “I was watching the scrolling red banner at the bottom of the television screen that said a small commuter plane crashed into the World Trade Center. I was thinking maybe it was cloudy in New York and the plane had lost visibility. Then the television brought up pictures of the building.”

Sander said there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the hole in the building looked larger than damage from a commuter plane.

Then, he and his colleagues watched horrified as a small speck on screen became a second plane that crashed into the second building.

“I knew then we were under attack,” he said.

A colleague suggested they call the West Wing.

“This is a number that is answered 24/7, 365 days a year,” he said. “But when I called, I got no answer.”

After a second call received no answer, he heard noise outside his office and discovered people running from the building. Secret Service came and told Sanders and his colleagues to evacuate.

“When Secret Service says jump, you say how high,” Sanders said.

But upon exiting the building, he had a terrible thought.

“I had a gut feeling there would still be interns in the building,” he said. “I ran back into the building, everything the firefighters tell you not to do,” Sanders said.

There were 14 interns in the Office of Public Liaison.

Sanders got them out of the building, but they weren’t completely out of danger yet.

“IU never forget this. We were crossing Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street, and we could see smoke. We were told at the time that car bombs were going off and the Washington Mall was on fire,”

That turned out to be false. The smoke they saw was from a plane crashing into the Pentagon.

Sanders packed the 14 interns into two taxi cabs and rode with them to a friend’s apartment on the northwest side of D.C.

There he told them to call their parents and tell them they were OK.

For his actions that day, Sanders received the Distinguished Honor Service Award from President Bush, an honor he has displayed behind his desk in each of the offices he’s held since his service in the White House.

Sanders said he’ll never forget his own service in the White House and he’s sure this year’s interns won’t either.

“I wish them the very best,” he said.