This man was Richard “Rick” Rescrola. At the time he was the Chief Security Officer of one of the largest financial institutions in the world, Morgan Stanley. The 62-year-old retired U.S. Army veteran had been focused on the security of the WTC for a long time, especially after a planted bomb in an abandoned van exploded in a garage beneath the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1993 resulting in the death of six innocent people. He was continuously working to improve the security not only of his firm but of the entire building as well. Rescrola and a military buddy of his designed an evacuation routine that Rick insisted on being practiced at least twice a year. He led the evacuation drills from the stairwells of the company’s quarters on 22nd floor of the South Tower.
The result was that on 9/11 his security team was ready. Rick overrode the decision of his superiors not to evacuate the building after the first plane crashed next door. He led the terrified employees out calmly and safely instructing everyone through a megaphone.
Although 13 people perished including Rick Rescrola himself, he was solely responsible for the evacuation and rescue of nearly 2,700 people.
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