On the 13th anniversary, perhaps we could take a moment to remember some of the true heroes of that day ...
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RIP, 2nd Lt. Cyril Richard "Rick" Rescorla, Platoon Leader, B Co 2/7 Cav ...
"Hard Corps One-Six" survived the 'Broken Arrow' in the Ia Drang Valley, November 1965, only to face another hell in New York City on Sept 11th. In charge of Morgan Stanley security (the largest tenant in the World Trade Center), he was advised by Port Authority police that there was no need to panic and evacuate when the first tower was hit. "Bugger THAT!" he said, and he began the orderly evacuation of the 2,700 employees on the 22 floors of WTC 2 and another 1,000 in WTC 5 across the plaza. He had most of them out to safety by the time the second plane hit. He went back up the stairs of the flaming South Tower one last time to search for stragglers, and was last seen in the 10th floor stairwell, headed up, as the tower collapsed on him.
This was the last heroic act in a life filled with heroic acts. His story has been told on television and radio, in newspapers and magazines, in the book Heart Of A Soldier by Pulitzer Prize winner James B. Stewart. He is also on the cover of another book We Were Soldiers Once... And Young, written by General Hal Moore and Joseph Galloway (made into a movie starring Mel Gibson).
To date, no trace has been found of his body. Nearly 3,000 people died in those two buildings, but out of 2,700 employees Morgan Stanley lost only six, Rick among them. He saved thousands of lives, and in the process gave up his own. He was 62.
Rescorla is memorialized at the South Pool of the National 9/11 Memorial on Panel S-46.
A bronze statue based on that iconic photo of him at the Ia Drang is on permanent display on The Walk Of Honor at the National Infantry Museum at Ft. Benning, GA.
Winchester73, you always find the best stories for such occasions (Memorial Day, Veteran's Day). There were so many heroes among the Police, First Responders, FDNY and volunteers who went to NYC to help. That number even includes dogs, like Bretagne, Last known 9/11 Ground Zero search dog (http://www.today.com/pets/last-known-9-11-ground-zero-search-dog-still-lends-1D80137575).
No matter how many times I watch it, the 9/11 Budweiser Commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3eQmzw6n3k) that only aired once so as not to benefit financially always brings a tear or two because, in its simplicity, it sums up the feelings of so many in the aftermath.
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it is a shame so many innocent folks lost their lives due to some man's view on how the world should be.