Army Veteran Who Gave His Life On 9/11 Was Responsible for Saving Nearly 2,700 Lives In The World Trade Center

Sep 12, 2019 by apost team

Rick Rescorla who was head of security at Morgan Stanley was able to save nearly 2,700 lives because he anticipated the World Trade Center being attacked. After the 1993 truck bombing of the WTC, Rescorla made his company practice evacuation over and over again that way on 9/11 almost all of Morgan Stanley's employees were able to safely make it out of the building.

Rescorla is originally from Cornwall, England however he moved to the USA and enlisted in the US Army where he fought in the Vietnam war. Rescorla worked for Morgan Stanley in the South Tower it occupied 22 floors. On February 26th, 1993 a truck bomb exploded in the basement of the World Trade Center.

According to The New Yorker, Rescorla then recommended Morgan Stanley move to different offices as the World Trade Center was a high target for terrorists as it was the tallest building in New York and represented American economic power. However, Morgan Stanley’s lease at the WTC did not expire until 2006 so the company was forced to stay. 

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So Rescorla decided to create a better evacuation plan for the 22 floors of Morgan Stanley. According to the publication, the employees were instructed to go down the emergency staircases in pairs so that one person could help the other if they stumbled starting with the top floor first. The evacuation drill was practiced two times a year. Although employees made fun of the drill, Rescorla was adamant on practicing and having a clear system.

When the plane hit the south tower, Rescorla knew exactly what to do. Dan Hill a friend of Rescorla told The New Yorker he remembers Rescorla calling him after the plane crashed into the building. He could hear Rescorla arguing with the Port Authority of the WTC who were insisting that employees stay at their desks. But Dan remembers hearing Rescorla say:

“Everything above where that plane hit is going to collapse, and it’s going to take the whole building with it. I’m getting my people the f*** out of here.”

And that’s exactly what Rescorla did. Rescorla sang songs over a bull horn to help keep everyone calm as they evacuated the building.

As Rescorla got all of Morgan Stanley’s people to safety he went back into the building to see if there were any stragglers. One of the company’s employees told Rescorla’s wife as cited by The New Yorker he remembers seeing Rescorla on the tenth floor 10 minutes before the building collapsed and telling him he should get out.

Rescorla replied, “I will as soon as I make sure everyone else is out.”

Rescorla’s body was never recovered from the rubble.

It is estimated that Rescorla saved the lives of 2,700 employees working in the south tower according to CBS. Rescorla’s wife said to The New Yorker:

“He chose to go back in there. I know he would never have left until everyone was safe, until his mission was accomplished. That was his nature. That was the man I loved.”

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