Story of Cornish hero Rick Rescorla on 9/11 20th anniversary

Rick Rescorla, a born and raised Cornishman from Hayle, was head of security at Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter, located in the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

His actions 20 years ago meant that out of his entire company, all but 13 made it home to their families that night – but, tragically, Mr Rescorla was not one of them.

His ability to save so many of his colleagues started much earlier, however.

The former paratrooper, who fought in Vietnam, had reportedly been worried for some time over the safety of the building in New York City.

Rick Rescorla reached the rank of colonel with the US Airborne

Having seen an evacuation of it go badly eight years earlier, in 1993, when a bomb exploded in its basement, when Mr Rescorla became director of security at Morgan Stanley in 1997 he had recommended the company move offices.

When this was not possible, due to lease contracts, he developed an extensive evacuation procedure that was practised regularly by employees in case of such an event happening again.

It was this foresight that was to save many of their lives just four years later.

When the first plane hit the North Tower on that fateful day, at 8.46am US time, Mr Rescorla had swung into action.

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All the staff knew the procedure. Before the second plane had hit the South Tower, the employees of Morgan Stanley were already heading down the stairs, long before others had left their desks.

To keep spirits up, and calm nerves, Mr Rescorla began singing Cornish songs.

One, according to the website America Matters, was said to be based on the Men of Harlech, with the words:

Men of Cornwall stop your dreaming,

Can’t you see their spear points gleaming?

See their warriors’ pennants streaming,

To this battlefield.

Men of Cornwall stand ye steady,

It cannot be ever said ye

for the battle were not ready

Stand and never yield!

Such Cornish spirit meant that Mr Rescorla refused to leave any of his staff inside that building.

It was this that prompted him to head back inside the building, to ensure no one was left behind. He was believed to be around the tenth floor when the building collapsed, and his body was never found.

It said that shortly before the collapse Mr Rescorla spoke to his wife, Susan, on the phone.

According to the book The Unthinkable, in which journalist Amanda Ripley interviews a number of survivors from the attack, Mr Rescorla is reported to have told his wife: "Stop crying. I have to get these people out safely. If something should happen to me, I want you to know I’ve never been happier. You made my life."

Today (Saturday) a memorial service will take place at the Rick Rescorla Memorial in Hayle, opposite his childhood home in Penpol Terrace.

The Rick Rescorla Memorial in Hayle Picture: Ben Darlow/Wikipedia Creative Commons Attribution

Here the Royal Cornwall Parachute Regimental Association will remember the hero with a service at 2.59pm UK time, which coincides with New York time when the South Tower collapsed. 

Wreaths will be laid and standards lowered to remember Mr Rescorla and the 2,977 people who died that day.

The association will be remembering one of its own, as in 1956, on being called up for National Service, Mr Rescorla took a Short Service Commission as a officer in the Parachute Regiment during the Cyprus Emergency.

Following this he joined the Rhodesian police and later the London Met police, before moving to the USA where he joined the US Airborne, seeing fighting in Vietnam and reaching the rank of colonel.