masterwordsmith-unplugged

Exactly nine years ago, the world was shell-shocked by the September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11)- a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States. According to Wikipedia, on that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners and intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights. Many conspiracy theories have been formulated to try to explain the loss. While some of the loved ones of victims have managed to cope with the loss, many are still struggling to move on after this tragedy.



Today, I want to blog about a different aspect of this tragedy. There are enough negative reports about various issues so for a change, I want to write about something different. This 911 incident may hold different meanings/significance to different people. Some like my friends who narrowly escaped death because they were late for work, have a completely different lifestyle now - appreciating the little things in life that they used to take for granted. Others like me have learnt precious lessons even thousands of miles away.

In life, we meet all kinds of people: some inspire us to do better simultaneously recognizing our strengths and accepting our weaknesses while others may be ever ready to pounce on us to find fault, condemn, belittle or make the devil in us appear.

Yet, life is made worthwhile with all kinds of human interaction that enrich and color our lives no matter who we meet because we need to handle ourselves and not let people handle us. Sometimes, we also read about people who are ever ready to give of themselves for the betterment of the others around them.

One person who has touched me and inspired me to be resilient and steadfast in my life is Rick Rescorla. He is that ONE person who made a difference in the 911 tragedy.

When I first read about Rick Rescorla, I was simply astounded by his selflessness and zeal to embody and project the spirit of survival to the extent of sacrificing himself for the well being of his friends and colleagues. By the end of the article, I felt so much for the 2, 687 friends and colleagues whom he saved and the wife and family he left behind. Read on... (The following parts are summarized from TIME, June 23, 2008).

Rick Rescola was the Head of Security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter at the World Trade Center. He believed that with a bit of leadership, ordinary people were capable of great achievements.

Born in England, he joined the US military to fight the communists in Vietnam earning a Silver Star, Bronze Star and a Purple Heart in battles memorialized in the 1992 book by Lieut. Gen. Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway, "We Were Soldiers Once ...and Young."

Eventually, he moved to New Jersey and settled into the life of a security executive. After the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, Rescorla worried about a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center insisting on the need for more security in the parking garage. Their recommendations were ignored.

Three years later, Ramzi Yousef drove a truck full of explosives into the underground parking garage of the WTC just as Rescorla had predicted. Armed with the credibility he needed and his muscular personality, he changed the culture of Morgan Stanley.

His employer was the largest tenant in the WTC, a village nestled in the clouds. He ordered the employees not to listen to any instructions from the Port Authority in a real emergency as he felt that it had lost all legitimacy after it failed to respond to his 1990 warnings. So he implemented frequent surprise fire drills. He trained employees to meet in the hallway between the stairwells and go down the stairs, two by two to the 44th floor.

Millionaire, high performance bankers on the 73rd floor did not appreciate the drills which cost the company money but Rescorla did it anyway.

His military training had taught him a simple rule of human nature: the best way to get the brain to perform under extreme stress is to repeatedly run it through rehearsals beforehand.

He trained the staff to move faster in the stairwell, lectured them about the basics of fire emergencies and taught them to always go downstairs in emergencies.

On the morning of 9/11, Rescorla heard and explosion and saw Tower 1 burning. The Port Authority urged people to stay at their desks but Rescorla began systematically ordering Morgan Stanley employees to get out and they performed beautifully.

When the second plane hit, Rescorla told everyone through the bullhorn, "Be still. Be silent. Be calm.' And no one moved. It was as though Rescorla had cast a spell.

The following is extracted from Wikipedia:

Rescorla reminded everyone to "...be proud to be an American ...everyone will be talking about you tomorrow", and sang God Bless America and other military and Cornish songs over his bullhorn to help evacuees stay calm as they left the building, including an adaptation of the song Men of Harlech:


Rescorla had most of Morgan Stanley’s 2700 employees as well as people working on other floors of WTC 2 safely out of the buildings by the time United Airlines Flight 175 hit WTC at 9:02 a.m.

After having led many of his fellow employees to safety, Rescorla returned to the building to rescue others still inside. When one of his colleagues told him he too had to evacuate the World Trade Center, Rescorla replied, "As soon as I make sure everyone else is out".

According to Stephan Newhouse, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Rescorla was seen as high as the 72nd floor evacuating people, clearing the floors and working his way down.

TIME magazine reported that in between songs, Rescorla called his wife and told her to stop crying. He said,” 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." Moments later, he had successfully evacuated the vast majority of Morgan Stanley employees. Then he turned around.

He was last seen heading up the stairs of the tenth floor. His remains were not recovered.

As a result of Rescorla's actions, only 13 of Morgan Stanley's 2700 WTC employees were killed on September 11, 2001, including Rick and three of his deputies who followed him back into the building - Wesley Mercer, Jorge Velazquez, and Godwin Forde.

He left behind a widow, Susan Rescorla, two children and three stepchildren. Rick was also survived by his mother, Ciss Rescorla, who died the following year, his uncle Trevor Rescorla, who has also since died, as well as many dear friends and family members in the United States and Hayle, Cornwall, England. A memorial stone was erected in his hometown of Hayle, Cornwall, to commemorate his life.

To me, Rick Rescorla is the epitome of one who lives for duty, honor and courage. There are certain men born in this world, and they're supposed to die setting an example for the rest of the people we're surrounded with and Rick Rescorla is certainly one who stands heads and shoulders above the rest!

Thank you Rick Rescorla for leaving behind a legacy and for saving the lives of so many people. You are an inspiration for us to give of ourselves to others.

The following song is dedicated to Rick Rescorla's family and friends...in memory of a real hero, Rick Rescorla, who stood steadfast in the line of duty even though he knew the price of that decision. May God bless his family always and also all others who have, in one way or another, been affected by this 911 tragedy.

Here's another moving video and song. CLICK HERE to watch it.