Rick Rescorla: A Category of the Spirit

Psalm 46:1-3 The Message Bible  

A Song of the Sons of Korah

 

46 ^1-3 God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

“The real heroes are dead.”--Rick Rescorla, when praised for his heroism in Vietnam.

Knowing him, we learn what heroism means. In this sense, he represents a Category of the Spirit.

Scott Johnson: "Rescorla died a hero’s death saving his charges at Morgan Stanley in the south tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Rescorla was head of security for the company; he directed the evacuation in which he had long drilled the company’s WTC employees. He knew that a terrorist attack on the WTC was coming and he knew what had happened as soon as the building was hit. His message was one of resolve. Using a bullhorn, he shepherded his charges into the tower’s one usable fire escape and exhorted them that it was “a day to be proud to be an American.”"........

Much more at Powerline.

From our archives, Sept. 11, 2003: 

Sept. 11 was why I started blogging. Or, more accurately, it was Sept. 10th.

We are in a two-front war--one with our enemies, and another with those who can't or won't take civilization's side in this conflict. They insist it is still Sept. 10th.

Of course, it hasn't been "Sept. 10th" for a long, long time; such is the power of denial. Should they stumble across this little website, I want it to be like daylight to a vampire.

I know that a lot of you also became bloggers after 9-11. I want to say that I'm proud to associated with you all. There is a lot of fine work in the Blogosphere, and it's [still] a pleasure to read and to learn. I believe we are changing hearts and minds.

But today, I'm especially proud to be from a country that produces a Johnny 'Mike' Spann.

A country that grows police, firefighters and EMTs who run to danger, and not away from it.

A nation that attracted a Rick Rescorla, who understood completely the lesson of the first WTC attack, when no one else wanted to. And died in harness, pulling others to life.

Honor

So forget if you want to. But you won't do it around me.

So help me God. Amen.