The Man Who Saw It Coming

I had the honor and the privilege to meet this hero when I was working for Johnson Controls.  We were at the World Trade Center some months before September 11^th of that year, and that’s when I met him.  We were upgrading Morgan Stanley Dean Witter’s card access system, and we were introduced to Rick that morning. 

He was the head of security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.  He as a big guy; warm guy who could easily win one over.  He was full of life, a real leader, and a warm human being; friendly, and yet professional.  He was a very likable person, and very easy to communicate with.

He told me that he had served in both the British SAS, the Special Air Service – their elite troops, and also the US Army Green Berets, our Special Forces.  The night they ran the 9/11 marathon on TV, they announced him as one of the dead.  All of a sudden the immense loss hit me, as I heard Rick’s name announced as one of those who perished, and I broke down for the first time since the tragedy.

Of all of the people I had met at the World Trade Center, Rick Rescorla stood out from among them.  That is not to diminish any of the others who perished, but he was the only one whose name hit home with me, when I first heard that he had perished.  I met him, shook hands with him, and we talked, briefly, but in that short meeting we had, it was as though we had known each other for years.  Very few people I’ve ever met have had quite that kind of effect on me.  It was just the way he was.

When I heard his name mentioned as those who perished that day, it was as though I had lost a friend; or a close relative of mine.  It hit me with all of the force I felt that night and suddenly all of my senses, all of my emotions bottled up until that night from the day of the tragedy came out full force, and I wept bitterly for Rick and for all those who perished that day, and for our nation.

The link below is about him.  The write-up below is a biography of him which explains how he served both in the British and US militaries.  This was a real hero, and having met him, shaken his hand, and spoken with him; I feel especially honored to have met him.

Here is his story.  Please pass it on.

Here is the URL to the video:

The man who saw it coming.

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If you never heard of Rick Rescorla, you are missing out on one of the best stories of an "American" hero.

Born born Cyril Richard Rescorla in Hayle, Cornwall, in 1939.

During WWII the 175th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 29th Infantry Division was headquartered in Rick's hometown. Being a typical young boy he fell head over heals in love with the American G.I.s. He grew up an athlete, excelling in boxing.

In 1957 Rescorla joined the British Army The Parachute Regiment and also serving with intelligence. Upon leaving the military he served various jobs as a police officer.

He moved to the United States and joined the United States Army in 1963 ... wanting to go to Vietnam to fight. In 1965 he was a platoon leader in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and fought in the Battle of Ia Drang ... the battle recounted in the book and depicted in the movie "We Were Soldiers (Once ... And Young)"

While serving in Vietnam Rick earned the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, a Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry ...

And didn't come back to the United States to throw any of them on the White House lawn ... nor did he join The Winter Soldiers and undermine his military brothers still fighting, bleeding and dying in Vietnam.

Rescorla was a very bright and astute man. He was a critical thinker. In 1992 he warned the World Trade Center's Port Authority that the massive structures were vulnerable to (what we call now) VIEDs in the basement parking garage ... but his warning was not heeded ... In 1993 the first terrorist attack on the WTC happened. Rick helped evacuate the building, and was the last man out.

Rescorla became director of security for Morgan Stanley headquartered in the World Trade Center in 1997. Feeling the WTC was too vulnerable a target for terrorists, Rick recommended Morgan Stanley leave the structure and find new office spaces. But they were locked into a lease. So, Rescorla then made certain all employees of Morgan Stanley train and practice in emergency evacuations from the WTC building, drilling them every three months.

On September 11, 2001 Rick Rescorla was supposed to be on vacation ... Instead, he was filling in so one of his deputies could go on vacation.

This, I believe, is one of the last known pictures taken of Rick Rescorla on 9-11-01 as he coaxed and lead the evacuation of Morgan Stanley's staff and employees out of WTCT2 and WTC5.

When all the Morgan Stanley employees were safely out, Rick went back inside to help more people escape the inevitable doom he had feared and predicted years before ...

On the warm, bright, sunny morning of September 11, 2001 Rick Rescorla was not ... the last man out of the World Trade Center ...

Rick Rescorla's birth certificate may have said England but he was ... an American hero through and through, and in every cell of his body, and every fiber of his heart and soul.
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