In the past two weeks we have heard a lot about the heroes of 911.
If not for the actions of one man the death toll of 911 could have been doubled. You will not hear very much about the real hero of 911 because its not PC to talk about Rick Rescorla. Despite millions of names on petitions, some politicians did not want Rick Rescorla to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedon and it was not awarded.
Rescorla was a Brit. Rescorla was a platoon leader at the first battle of Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam. LTG Hal Moore called him "the best platoon leader I ever saw". Rescorla was decorated with the Silver Star for his fight at Ia Drang.
Rescorla became the security consultant to Morgan Stanley at the WTC. He was concerned that the WTC would be attacked by trucks and explosives. The NY port authority said it would never happen. Well, it did happen. Rescorla later became the director of security at Morgan Stanely Dean Witter. He continued to badger the NY port authority saying that radical Islam would again attack the WTC. Again the port authority laughed him off.
Rescorla held twice yearly evacuation drills of the 22 floors occupied by Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. When the plane hit the tower next door the NY port authority and the fire dep't had told occupants of the buildings to stay put.
Rescorla began an immediate evacuation and 2,700 employees of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter got safely out of the building. A
few employees of the company were killed on 911. Rescorla and some of his assistants were among the dead.
and that story. Was he mentioned in the movie "we were soldiers"? Best movie quote I've heard in a long time. "Sergeant Major, you had better go draw an M-16." REPLY: "Sir, when it comes time I need one, there will be enough laying around." Probably not exact, but the message was clear.
i'm not sure about that. i don't believe an actor played Rescorla in the movie. They had an actor play Lt. Henry Toro Herrick. Herrick lead his platoon on a chase after some North Vietnamese troops. The platoon was caught in an ambush and many were killed, including Herrick.
i'm not sure about that. i don't believe an actor played Rescorla in the movie. They had an actor play Lt. Henry Toro Herrick. Herrick lead his platoon on a chase after some North Vietnamese troops. The platoon was caught in an ambush and many were killed, including Herrick.
I don't have a clue, I can't watch those movies. I tried it once, just can't do it! I left it there and that is where it stays.
Rev, i totally understand where your are coming from. i watched the movie with great difficulty and do not remember a lot of it.
Rescorla was not assigned to Col. Moore's 1/7 Cav. He was assigned to B company 2/7 Cav. B company 2/7 Cav and a platoon from A company 2/7 Cav were attached to Moore's unit for this operation.
Many folks are not aware that two battles were fought in Ia Drang Valley. Col. McDade, Co of 2/7 Cav, worked in the Pentagon for many years. He was nothing like Col. Moore.
Both battalions were assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cav. Div. A decision was made to evacuate both units by helicopter. For some unknown reason Col McDade made the decision to walk his unit to an LZ about three miles from their bivouac although they could have been evacuated from a closer LZ.
The unit was ambushed on their way to the LZ and suffered very heavy casualties. My brother was KIA on 17 November, 1965. He was assigned to C company, 2/7 Cav.
The unit was ambushed on their way to the LZ and suffered very heavy casualties. My brother was KIA on 17 November, 1965. He was assigned to C company, 2/7 Cav.
First of all I’m so sorry for the loss of your brother; not much time passes by that I don’t reflect back on the 54k good men we lost in that war. I’m sure you were all proud of him to give the ultimate sacrifice to me that is what real Americans are made of, and without them who knows what language we’d all be speaking today.
I consider myself not only lucky but blessed to have survived with minor wounds, most treated in field hospitals the worst injury was treated at Joint Services Hospital in Okinawa, I was only there a couple of weeks and then went back for more fun in the sun.
I still have dreams of the hot LZ’s most of ours were during extractions and not insurgence we operated in six man teams (Long Range Recon) so we didn’t get dropped in on hot LZ’s like infantry squads.
Again, I salute your brother and your family for the ultimate sacrifice, God bless you all!
Thanks for sharing bro, I know it's a hard thing to talk about.
Again, I salute your brother and your family for the ultimate sacrifice, God bless you all!
Thanks for sharing bro, I know it's a hard thing to talk about.
Thank you, Rev. Thanks for your service to the USA.
Many folks are not aware that two battles were fought in Ia Drang Valley. Col. McDade, Co of 2/7 Cav, worked in the Pentagon for many years. He was nothing like Col. Moore.
I wish this fact were better known, particularly to the current crops of LTCs and COLs who've spent more than a fair portion of their careers and the current conflict away from troops and out of danger.
I did include the Moore/Galloway text on my professional reading list for my company-grade officers, but I stressed them to focus on 2-7 Cav and the contrasts between its leadership, that of 1-7, and their own careers and their personal motivations. I made it very clear what I expected of them if they wanted to command a Company.
Later in my career, I provided input to requests made by individual officers for assignment to Iraq and Afghanistan. My litmus test and my arguments were usually founded in the Moore/McDade contrast - I wasn't going to send another McDade to theater.
Though my attempts were sometimes thwarted by the level of the "need" or by "who they know/are related to", my position was made known, nonetheless, that many of these officers (most of them MAJs and LTCs) were attempting only to highlight an otherwise lackluster career by "volunteering" for a plum position at some headquarters in Baghdad or Kandahar, in hopes of being considered for promotion right alongside their peers who'd successfully commanded troops in combat.
Falcon - Though I'm afraid that many of my former peers didn't share my analysis and still prefer Hollywood's version of the Ia Drang, I hope that the actions of a few of us who did and do still recognize the deeper value in its lessons regarding leadership have in some small way honored the service and memory of your brother - and of his brothers in 2-7 - in our endeavor to ultimately spare a military family today from the loss yours experienced in 1965.
Falcon - Though I'm afraid that many of my former peers didn't share my analysis and still prefer Hollywood's version of the Ia Drang, I hope that the actions of a few of us who did and do still recognize the deeper value in its lessons regarding leadership have in some small way honored the service and memory of your brother - and of his brothers in 2-7 - in our endeavor to ultimately spare a military family today from the loss yours experienced in 1965.
Homers Brother, thank you very much.
While recuperating in the Walter Reed annex in late 1969-early 1970 my room mate was a SGM who had been a MSG in the 3rd Bde Hqs. We talked for hours about the battles of Ia Drang. i had not been aware that McDade had brought his company commanders forward after the Bn captured some NVA troops. When the fight started only one company commander made it back to his troops.
McDade took command of 2/7 Cav in late October. Wonder what happened to the Bn commander who deployed with the unit?
The Real Hero of 911
Yep Falcon I've heard of him....
