If you don't know who Rick Rescorla is already, you need to go find out about him. Quite a while back, before I found milblogs, I read about him. He's the soldier on the cover of We Were Soldiers Once... And Young by General Hal Moore and Joseph Galloway. On 9/11, Rick was in charge of security for Morgan Stanley in the World Trade Center. When the north tower was struck, he ignored the "stay where you are" messages coming over the loudspeakers in the south tower. Morgan Stanley lost only six of their 2700 employees that day. Rick Rescorla is responsible for that miracle. After getting the people from Morgan Stanley out, he and three of his deputies when back up, looking for others that might need help getting out. He and his men were still in the tower when it collapsed. I know some news magazine did a story on him after he died - I wish I could recall which one. He is definitely someone you should know.
Anyhow, there is now a petition asking the President to award Rescorla the Presidential Medal of Freedom:
To: United States
A PETITION TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH TO AWARD THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM TO C.R.”RICK” RESCORLA FOR HEROISM AND GALLANTRY BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY ON SEPTEMBER 11,2001.
MR. RESCORLA CAME TO THIS COUNTRY AS AN IMMIGRANT TO BECOME AN OFFICER IN THE ARMY. MR RESCORLA SERVED WITH SUCH DISTINCTION AS AN OFFICER IN VIET NAM THAT ALL WHO SERVED WITH HIM CONSIDER HIM THE BRAVEST MAN WE HAVE EVER KNOWN. HE WAS HIGHLY DECORATED FOR HIS BRAVERY AND LEADERSHIP IN COMBAT. HE BECAME A US CITIZEN AND SOUGHT A HIGHER EDUCATION OBTAINING A BACHELOR AND MASTERS DEGREE AT UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA AND FURTHER OBTAINING A LAW DEGREE BEFORE SERVING A AS TEACHER AT USC LAW SCHOOL BEFORE BEING LURED TO THE WORLD OF COMMERCIAL BANKING. MR. RESCORLA’S SPECIALTY WAS SECURITY AND SECURITY LAW. IN 1993 HE WAS THE LAST MAN OUT OF THE TRADE TOWERS AFTER EVACUATING EVERYONE. ON SEPT.11TH IN SPITE OF BEING TOLD HIS BUILDING WAS NOT IN DANGER, HE IMPLEMENTED THE EVACUATION PLAN HE HAD DEVELOPED FOR HIS FIRM, MORGAN STANLEY. AS A DIRECT RESULT OF HIS EFFORTS THAT DAY AND HIS QUICK ACTION, OVER 2600 EMPLOYEES WERE SAVED. MR RESCORLA WAS LAST SEEN GOING UP TO RESCUE PEOPLE WHO WERE UNABLE TO GET DOWN. HIS ACTIONS REFLECT THE VERY BEST ABOUT AMERICA, ITS CITIZENS AND ITS DREAMS.
THE UNDERSIGNED URGE YOU TO RECOGNIZE MR RESCORLA BY BESTOWING THIS HIGHEST HONOR TO THIS MOST DESERVING MAN.
Go sign the petition. Let others know about it: link to it, email it. Rick Rescorla deserves this recognition for his lifetime of service and his ultimate sacrifice.
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