This man’s name is Rick Rescorla.
22 years ago today, Rick disobeyed orders, and saved 2700 lives.
Rick was the head of security for Morgan Stanley in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. He warned that the Towers’ basements were vulnerable to attack.
His warnings fell on deaf ears.
Then the 1993 attack happened, and people started listening to him.
After that attack, Rick implemented regular evacuation drills, using his megaphone to direct the thousands of employees out of their offices, down the stairwells, and out of the building to safety.
Born in Cornwall, Rick would sing Welsh and Cornish songs from his megaphone, as he directed the employees out of the building.
He would routinely tell all of the employees: in an emergency, no matter what chaos is happening around you, no matter what anyone tells you, leave your offices, go down the stairwells, and leave the building.
Rick told his wife Susan that he suspected another attack on the World Trade Center would happen, this time by air.
And 22 years ago today, on September 11, 2001, that attack happened.
When the first plane hit the North Tower, the Port Authority announced over the South Tower’s speaker system “Please do not leave the building. This area is secure.”
Rick ignored them.
“The dumb sons of b——s told me not to evacuate,” he said to his best friend Dan. “They said it’s just Building One. I told them I’m getting my people the f–k out of here.”
And so Rick picked up his megaphone as he had done so many times before, told his employees not to listen to the orders, and directed them out of the building.
His Cornish songs helped keep their nerves calm as they evacuated, even after the second plane hit their Tower.
Once he had successfully evacuated his employees, Rick went back to look for survivors.
But first, he called his wife Susan.
“Stop crying. I have to get these people out safely. If something should happen to me, I want you to know I’ve never been happier. You made my life.”
Rick rushed back to the South Tower.
That was the last time anyone saw him alive.
All but 6 of the more than 2700 Morgan Stanley employees survived.
Had they obeyed the Port Authority, they would all be dead.
Thankfully, they listened to Rick instead.
Rest in Peace, Rick. Thank you for your service.
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The book by General Hal Moore, “We Were Soldiers Once And Young” has a photo of a soldier running with an M-16 at high port with fixed bayonet during the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965. The photo is also in the Mel Gibson movie based on the book. That soldier was Lt. Rick Rescorla.
No shit……..nice catch.
Just opened my signed copy of the book……page 409 index……………he is cited in over 20 pages.
RIP trooper !
“When the first plane hit the North Tower”
Uh, sorry, but the commentariat here has concluded that no planes were involved
Since I saw the second plane hit in real time, I am in the other camp.
Absolutely. No planes. They would have broke in half and fallen straight down to the street.
So let’s say for shits & giggles there were no planes. k. it was CGI for the audience, and many suggesting the real cause being thermite sparked controlled demolition in all liklihood.
They did have eyewitnesses who reported and filmed pools of molten steel at ground zero.
Regardless of what the truth is about the TT and bldg. 7, architects with brains report
no way those structures melted from jet fuel ignition fires, then pancaked into their own footprint.
The point of hero status consideration for this guy is he found himself with people he cared about in the middle of a towering inferno, and worked his ass off to try and save as many people as possible, and went back in to try and escort more out when he bought it.
THAT’S the point of the post.
The point is not what was the real cause of what started the fires, collapsed the buildings,
or who was to blame.
Thousands were killed, and this guy was one of many victims trying to help during a
horrific event, and is due some respect, even post mortem.
https://www.badassoftheweek.com/rescorla
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John ; 15 – 13
Between this and Maui, the moral of the story is don’t listen to authority. Every one of them wants you dead and they think it’s hilarious.
Yes. They do.
Another character in tyranny theater. How cute. Yes I’m sure he followed orders in RVN
Ignorant comment.
Read the better biography of this man at the link included here.
He had balls the size of church bells.
Read.
https://www.badassoftheweek.com/rescorla
Fake events always feature at least one hero. But 911 was real, we’ve seen it on TV, and we can read truth on the internet. Thanks for the link!
Who knows, maybe he was a hero, and died just some 60 years old instead of retiring.
And we happen to have that photo with a megaphone.
Having survived several times in my life time coming close to death definitely 4 times and no I’m no hero just lucky .
One thing I learned, usually barking orders in a panic are the ones you do the exact opposite of what they are bellowing or babbling for you to do and typically they are already out of harms way . Rick had quite a history as a trained military man and knew how to handle himself in a crisis . He could not have been able to live with himself with any doubt he left someone behind !
The memory of people like Rick is something we as Americans need think about especially these days !
I know he was born in Great Britain and somehow found his way with American military crossing paths in Africa I think
This guy was a true warrior, a genuine bad ass. That is why it is so sad (to me) to see how he let himself morph into a fat ass tub of lard.
To bad you never meet him Mountain Rat perhaps you would reserve your disparaging comments considering he had more honor and integrity than most you could find today and even would have had your back to the end !
I have not questioned his honor or integrity and I acknowledged his bravery and skill in combat. He is the kind of man I admire and would follow him because he is a true leader.
You can not deny that he let his physical condition sink to a level that was frankly pathetic and disgusting. I allow that perhaps he had some underlying medical condition that contributed to his psychical state, but most people end up in that state because they choose to be a fat disgusting lard ass.
Perhaps my comment was disparaging but it was not untrue.
Congratulations. I’m sure you’re a perfect little princess.
My wife knew this man personally. She had nothing but raves for him.
She worked on the Exec floor and would interact with him often. Said he was a gracious guy who knew his stuff.
Called the 1993 garage bombing (which she went on medical leave the day before) and always said they were vulnerable to airplane attacks.
He always told the employees to not listen to shelter in place, but get out and quick.
Dude called it right. So what if he was a little portly – he is the definition of a hero. Not all the other BS.
Ironically my wife died on 9/11/2021 – may they have a pint together and sing his songs.
Slante
Yes, he called it right.
His story always chokes me up. What a hero, and he had common sense to boot. Wish all safety leads did. The direction our company gives, is to go to the next “safest” floor and not to the ground floor and out. Supposedly, those floors are fire resistant, or that’s what they told us when I asked the question. Since kindergarten through every job I had that wasn’t in the city, we were instructed to evacuate the building and stand far away. Staying inside was Greek to me.
To this day, I tell my boss and the rest of my coworkers, in the event of a real fire, they’ll hear from me when I’m outside. They can join me or not. Not gonna force them.
You named the hero. Now name the Port Authority officials who need a noose, a firing squad, a bath full of sulphuric acid, a gas chamber, whatever way you choose that they should meet their end…..
From my wife, he went to various meetings with the PA and implored them to take a different stance towards security. Bureaucrats don’t listen to common sense.
Guy from NJ, Common sense isn’t common. I’m sorry about your wife’s passing. May they be raising their pints in toasts.