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Morgan Stanley security chief feared dead (Notable Vietnam Vet)
The Miami Herald ^ | Tuesday, October 23, 2001 | Emilie Lounsberry

Posted on 10/23/2001 8:11:40 AM PDT by VOA

Tuesday, October 23, 2001


Morgan Stanley security chief feared dead
By Emilie Lounsberry
WASHINGTON BUREAU

NEW YORK (Updated 2:34 a.m.) - As security head at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter,
Rick Rescorla knew the drill: He had ferried employees out when terrorism first struck
the World Trade Center in 1993, and he was there with his bullhorn Tuesday,
trying once again to get his people out.

Nearly all of them did. Rescorla did not.

He's one of the 15 Morgan Stanley employees still missing. And those who know
him say that Rescorla, who was in his 44th-floor office in the trade tower struck by
the second plane, may well be the reason the vast majority of the 3,700 Morgan
Stanley employees got out alive.

"Rick was down toward the base trying to make sure people got down and out,"
said Bob Sloss, a managing director at Morgan Stanley who last saw Rescorla around
the 10th floor in the stairwell. "He was definitely there well after it had been
established that the building was in trouble."

Typical Rescorla, said those who know him from his days as a lieutenant and platoon
leader in Vietnam, where he would sing to his men at tense times and instill in
them the courage to get back up for one more round of battle.

"He couldn't be any other way," recalled Sam Fantino, who was Rescorla's radio operator
in Vietnam and has been flooded with e-mails from their military colleagues bemoaning
the possible loss of Rescorla, 62, in the World Trade Center tragedy.

Morgan Stanley employees remembered stories of how Rescorla had bounded into
action during the 1993 bombing at the trade towers. Fantino said Rescorla took
a rather unconventional approach to regaining control of the panic-stricken crowd as
he tried to clear the building that day.

"To get their attention, he dropped his pants," recalled Fantino. Rescorla, with his
commanding demeanor and booming voice, was just the type you want in charge, whether it
was on Tuesday or during the 1993 attack, Fantino said.

"He was literally the last person to leave that building," another Army friend,
Joe Galloway, recalled of the 1993 bombing. "He stayed until he had gotten everyone
out, and that is the nature of the man."

Born in Hayle, Cornwall, in England in 1939, Rescorla served as a mercenary for
British Army forces in Zimbabwe, and then became a police officer in Rhodesia
before coming to the United States in the early 1960s and joining the Army.

He was a platoon leader in Vietnam, where Fantino and others said Rescorla was an
inspiration to his troops. He could make them laugh with a joke or a song, and somehow
inspire them to get up and "kick some butt" in battle.

He put himself through college at Oklahoma University on the G.I. bill, and went on to
get a master's degree and a law degree.
Rescorla, who retired as a colonel in the
Army Reserve in 1989, had worked in security management for many years, including the
past 18 working for Morgan Stanley, where he started out as director of security
and moved up to first vice president for security.

Spread between the 43rd and 66th floors, Morgan Stanley offices were buzzing with
activity Tuesday when the first plane struck the neighboring tower at about 8:48 a.m.

A plane hit the second building about 9:10 a.m.

Rescorla was in his office when the disaster hit.

His wife, Susan, said she called when she heard the news and was told, "Don't worry
about anything, Rick is getting the people out."

Rescorla called about 10 minutes later. His next words struck terror in her heart:
"If anything happens to me," he just wanted her to know that "you made my life."

She said she's heard that her husband was going from floor to floor, making sure
people were out, and had been spotted around the 72nd floor at one point.
Since then, she's been praying constantly for some shred of evidence that he
might somehow be alive, caught in the rubble.

Sloss, who was in his office on the 66th floor when the plane hit, said he remembers
seeing Rescorla somewhere around the 10th floor, shuttling people along the way,
telling them to get off their cell phones and proceed carefully but quickly.

"Rick was down there absolutely perspiring," said Sloss. "He had his bullhorn.
He was encouraging people to calm down."

"If anybody could get (people) out or do anything," his wife said, "it was my Rick."


TOPICS: News/Current Events
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(Click on link in heading for original article. The article is also linked from www.lzxray.com)
I'm posting as Rick Rescorla is apparently the soldier that is often posted here on
www.freerepublic.com, the helmeted soldier grasping his rifle and looking ahead (in profile
to the camera). I think this photo was either the cover of "We Were Soldiers Once, And Young"
or was a photo in the book.

Either way, it sounds like he lived a full life and has probably perished being
a leader. I think his quick words to his wife "...you made my life..."
rank up there with "Let's Roll" for the events of 9-11.

Seeing how he came from Cornwall, I can't restrain saying something.
I've heard a phrase "You can always tell a man from Cornwall, but you can't tell him much".

Sounds like Rick was a good example of this...smart, "never say die" and a leader to the end.
The U.S.A. was lucky to attract his type.
1 posted on 10/23/2001 8:11:40 AM PDT by VOA
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To: PhiKapMom; ALOHA RONNIE; Osage Orange
Just pinging.
Please ping others you might think would be interested, given contacts
of subject with Vietnam and Univ. of Oklahoma.
2 posted on 10/23/2001 8:17:43 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA
bump
3 posted on 10/23/2001 8:22:07 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA
BUMP
4 posted on 10/23/2001 8:26:51 AM PDT by RippleFire
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To: RippleFire
bttt
5 posted on 10/23/2001 8:28:52 AM PDT by kayak
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To: VOA
bump
6 posted on 10/23/2001 8:31:52 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA; ALOHA RONNIE
Aloha Ronnie talked about Rick Rescorla on The Hugh Hewitt show last night. May he RIP. Ronnie said that "We Were Soldiers" is in the can and will probably be released next summer. He also told Hugh that there were reports from those who got out of the building on 11 September, that Rick was going up a stairwell armed with a bullhorn singing God Bless America and encouraging people to get out.
7 posted on 10/23/2001 8:39:21 AM PDT by SMEDLEYBUTLER
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To: VOA
Bump!
8 posted on 10/23/2001 8:39:34 AM PDT by Gritty
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To: VOA
...For More on American Hero -RICK RESCORLA- and his Battle at IA DRANG-1965 please see my Freerepublic.com Bookmarked Articles titled:

Morgan Stanley workers recall colleague

'WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE...& YOUNG'...4 FREEDOM

and the various Valley of Death/IA DRANG-1965 Threads as -RICK RESCORLA- spent his entire life saving the lives of Others ...while singing out...

"GOD BLESS AMERICA"

..as GOD does now indeed look down on his life while smiling ...BROADLY.

9 posted on 10/23/2001 8:43:31 AM PDT by ALOHA RONNIE
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To: ALOHA RONNIE; SMEDLEYBUTLER
Thanks for checking in and for the reports.
Too bad I couldn't catch all of Hewitt last evening...
10 posted on 10/23/2001 8:45:49 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA
bump for visibility
11 posted on 10/23/2001 8:54:57 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA
WTIME bump
12 posted on 10/23/2001 8:59:35 AM PDT by MaeWest
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To: VOA
sounds like this Great Man was born a hero.....God's spped Rich,hero.
13 posted on 10/23/2001 9:06:41 AM PDT by cactusSharp
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To: VOA
bump for visibility
14 posted on 10/23/2001 9:56:19 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA
off-to-work bump!
15 posted on 10/23/2001 10:14:25 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA
His next words struck terror in her heart: "If anything happens to me," he just wanted her to know that "you made my life."

What a Hero and wonderful husband. I don't think the tears are ever going to stop. I would like to thank this wonderful Hero for serving his Country and send much love and prayers to his wife and family. God Bless and keep all of them!!

16 posted on 10/23/2001 10:25:48 AM PDT by CELTICGAEL (Celt)
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To: CELTICGAEL (Celt)
I don't think the tears are ever going to stop.

Heck, it got to me so much I spent 20 minutes setting up the post!
And to make sure full credit is made, "Aloho Ronnie" has been on the radio (Hugh Hewitt
Show in Los Angeles) talking about Rescorla and the article on this thread (or a version
of it) was previously posted.
Too bad that it appears that Rescorla isn't portrayed by any actor in the upcoming
movie "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young".
But we'll probably get to see a few good men (in the Army!) like him portrayed on screen.

Like I said that phrase "...you made my life..." should get immortalized in the
final history of 9-11.
Hollywood couldn't write a better "good-bye forever, but I've got to do my job" line than that.
17 posted on 10/23/2001 10:31:59 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA
...that phrase "...you made my life..." should get immortalized in the
final history of 9-11.


And for any Freepers in and around The University of Oklahoma (or graduates thereof)
should really think about some sort of honor/memorial for Rick Rescorla and Bob Kalsu (the
OU/Buffalo football player, the only pro football player killed in Vietnam).

If these two guys don't hit the mark as heroes, I don't know who does.
18 posted on 10/23/2001 10:36:19 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA
I just hope that at least one bomb dropped on the Taliban/Osama has a message scrawled
on it along the lines of "This One Is For Rick Rescorla!"
19 posted on 10/23/2001 10:47:51 AM PDT by VOA
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To: VOA
Heroism--the divine relation which in all times unites a great man to other men.

Carlyle

20 posted on 10/23/2001 10:56:53 AM PDT by Osage Orange
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