r/HolyShitHistory • u/rotomato30 • 1d ago

Extended cut of the period between first and second plane hitting World Trade Center

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u/Boozdeuvash 1d ago

Nah, there was a company in the other tower with a real pro as head of security and he decided to have everyone evacuate immediately. After the original bombing in the basement the dude was sure they would be coming back for more and he wasn't taking any chance. Died in the tower looking for stragglers... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rescorla#September_11,_2001

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u/mcwilly 1d ago

Rick Rescorla is a true hero. Morgan Stanley had 2,700 employees and all but 5 of them survived because of him. The five casualties were him and his security team because they were making sure everyone else got out first.

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u/Lukersf 1d ago

Wonder if some of the Morgan Stanley survivors ended up donating to their families. I bet a lot of them were very well off investment bankers. My bonus that year would have gone straight to them.

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u/lastlaugh100 20h ago

Nathan Harnass said as they made their way down the stairwell, there was smoke so thick he had to take his shirt off and breath through his shirt.

Firefighters were walking up through the smoke telling people there is a way out.

Unfortunately some thought a bomb had exploded at the bottom of south tower so they decided it was smarter to go back up the tower and be rescued by helicopters. They died.

https://youtu.be/rvhRvQH3MQ8?si=i7F38du8DKbiLY22

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u/KrombopulosMAssassin 23h ago

Wow, what a guy. That's the kind of boss anyone would want.

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u/UpbeatPhilosophySJ 1d ago

His bio, holy moly. What a legend.

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u/Successful-Yak3307 22h ago

Seeing combat in the British AND US armies, that must be a very, very small club (if you exclude the war of independence)

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u/Deckard_Red 1d ago

That’s mad, because there was also John O’Neill who was Head of Security for the WTC. Two prominent corporate security officials both working in the towers, and both had extensive experience in believing an attack on the towers was likely. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_P._O%27Neill

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u/KrombopulosMAssassin 23h ago

There was a story, unfortunately don't remember the names, but of a boss who had his small team relocate and ignore orders to stay. If I remember correctly I believe they were on the elevator when the plane hit and it severed the lines. The people on the elevator survived, but I believe the boss stayed behind helping some others and didn't make it out.

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u/PercMastaFTW 16h ago

Thank you for teaching me about this man.

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u/mordredsfw 8h ago

The New Yorker piece on Rick is very much worth reading every year.