9-11 hero remembered.

A lone bagpiper played out side the doors of the Army Navy Country Club as attendees arrived for a special book signing of Heart of a Soldier: A Story of Love, Heroism, and September 11th, by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James B. Stewart. The book chronicles the life of Rick Rescorla, CPP, former first vice president of security for Morgan Stanley, who died at age 62 while ushering his colleagues out of Twin Tower Two on 9-11.

Rescorla was a native of Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom, who came to the United States as a young man. He fought in the Vietnam War and won a Silver Star for his bravery in the bloody Ia Drang Valley battle. Later, Rescorla worked at Continental Bank of Chicago as director of security and at the Bank Administration Institute as vice president of security. He joined ASIS in June 1999 as a member of the Northern New Jersey Chapter and became a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) in May 2000.

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Rescorla was in charge of executing the evacuation of Morgan Stanley's nearly 4,000 employees from the Trade Center after the first bombing in 1993, during which he helped move thousands of frightened and injured people toward safety.

The lesson from that experience was clear. Rescorla took to heart the need to thoroughly prepare his staff for another terrorist incident. Floor captains were assigned to organize the evacuation, and every six to eight weeks Rescorla would require employees to practice the evacuation plan. He also made sure that key staff members were trained in CPR.

The drills and the practice paid off, said John Olson, executive vice president for Morgan Stanley, who spoke to attendees about his friend and colleague Rescorla. Olson remembers Rescorla standing in the stairwell reassuring the panicked and frightened evacuees. Speaking into a bullhorn, Rescorla told the Morgan Stanley staff to "Stay calm, keep moving." Other witnesses reported Rescorla singing in an attempt to raise spirits and lessen panic.

In a tearful recollection of the day, Olson spoke of the last time he had contact with Rescorla. The connection came in the stairwell, shortly before the tower collapsed. Seeing cracks in the 5-inch-thick concrete wall. Olson knew the building was not sound. He remembered telling Rick that he had to get out, but Rescorla said he would not leave until every Morgan Stanley employee had exited safely. In his final moments, Rescorla managed to call home. "You made my life," he told his wife, Susan.

After Olson spoke, Susan Rescorla addressed the crowd. "I am a very proud woman, and I am honored that you have all come tonight," she said. In memory of her husband, Susan has established the Rick Rescorla Memorial Foundation, to keep Rick's memory and ideals alive.

Among the attendees at the Morgan Stanley-sponsored event were ASIS Executive Director Michael Stack, ASIS Board of Directors members, headquarters directors, and other ASIS members.