There was a colossal amount of debris and smoke, there people running uncontrollably and screaming through the streets; the south twin tower in New York had just fallen. On September 11^th 2001 there was a very large terrorist attack on the U.S. This attack came as a shock to us all and most were unable to act but a great many also strove to save at least one life. There are many heroes of 9/11 being the policemen, the firefighters, and the civilians whom all risked everything they had to help save lives. There are many stories that were formed that day, but Rick Rescorla’s stands above the others.

Rick Rescorla was a soldier in the Vietnam War who was praised for his bravery and valor.  He was also the security chief for financial services for Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter firm and helped evacuate people from the first terrorism attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. Rick Rescorla predicted and feared of a 9/11 terrorist plane attack on the twin towers and drilled employees regularly for an evacuation if necessary. Rick went about his day as he normally did; he got up at 4:30 a.m., kissed his wife, and took the train to Manhattan at 6:10. He was at his desk on the 44^th floor of the south tower when the first plane crashed into the north tower. He ignored the officials insisting to stay put and grabbed a megaphone. With the megaphone in his hand Rick calmly instructed the people to leave the south tower. People marched down the stairs two-by-two as Rick led the company’s employees out of the building to safety. When the second plane hit the south tower most people were out of the building already, only a handful was not accounted for. Rick and two others went back into the building to look for them and never returned. He saved about 2,700 people that day.

There are many heroes of 9/11 who risked their lives to save people. Rick Rescorla was an ordinary man who did the extraordinary and saved thousands of lives and will always be remembered as a hero.