UK military
Rescorla left Hayle in 1956 to join the British military.[3] He enlisted in the British Army in 1957, training as a paratrooper with The Parachute Regiment and then serving with an intelligence unit in Cyprus during the EOKA Cypriot insurgency[4] from 1957 to 1960.[3] He then served as a paramilitary police inspector in the Northern Rhodesia Police (now the Zambia Police Service)[4] from 1960 to 1963, experiences which made him a fierce anti-Communist.[3] It was during the latter post that he met and forged a "life-altering friendship" with American soldier Daniel J. Hill, who inspired Rescorla to join the U.S. Army and fight in Vietnam[4] in order to fight the communists.[3] On returning to London and civilian life, he joined the Metropolitan Police Service.
US military
His tenure at the Met was shortlived and he soon resigned and moved to the United States. He lived at a YMCA hostel in Brooklyn until he was able to enlist in the Army. "Rick", as he would thereafter be known, enlisted in the United States Army in 1963 and after basic training at Fort Dix, he attended Officer Candidate School and airborne training at Fort Benning. Upon graduating Rescorla was assigned as a platoon leader in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).
Rescorla was sent to Vietnam, where he served under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore. The two participated in the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang, which Moore would later describe in a 1992 book he co-authored We Were Soldiers Once… And Young, (from which the 2002 Mel Gibson film We Were Soldiers would be adapted). Rescorla is the soldier pictured on the book jacket cover. Co-author Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore described him as "the best platoon leader I ever saw". Rescorla's men nicknamed him "Hard Core" for his bravery in battle and revered him for his good humor and compassion towards his men.[3][7] He is also mentioned in the book Baptism by Larry Gwin who also fought at Ia Drang. The fourteenth chapter of the book Rescorla's Game describes him as the "Cornish Hawk". Despite this tough image, according to his second wife and widow Susan Rescorla in her book, Touched by a Hero, music was "so central" to Rick's life that he sang to his troops in Vietnam to calm them – something he would later employ during 9/11.[4]
Rescorla's Vietnam honors included the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, a Purple Heart and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.[citation needed]
Silver Star
Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster
Purple Heart
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry
In April 2001 Rescorla was chosen for induction into the Infantry Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame and was invited to participate in ceremonies at Fort Benning.[3]
Here's a bio of his good friend, Daniel Hill, who served in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Vietnam and Afghanistan:
Daniel J. Hill (born 1938 in Oak Park, Illinois) joined the United States Army at the age of 15, by lying about his age. He eventually became a Special Forces paratrooper and served in Germany, where he participated in missions during the Hungarian Revolution and the struggle for control of Lebanon in 1958.
Following his tour in Germany, he was selected for Ranger school at Fort Benning, where he was asked to return as an instructor. In 1960 he was assigned to infiltrate the Katanga insurrection in the Congo where he met his lifelong friend, Rick Rescorla.
Hill served as a lieutenant during his first tour in Vietnam and a captain during his second. After his first tour, he was awarded the Silver Star for heroism at Trung Luong, five Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm Leaf.[citation needed] After retiring from the US Army, he converted to Islam and spent time fighting with the Mujahideen against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.[