[Desi Masala] why love never dies.....

"Why Love Never Dies"

A few years ago I struck up a conversation with a man sitting next to me on a plane. We started talking about work, family and the standard friendly fare people engage in while trapped next to each other for an hour or so with nowhere else to go.

He told me about his daughter, all grown up now and a financial analyst who lived in Denver happily with her husband and two children of her own. But only a few years ago she narrowly escaped with her life from her office in theWorld Trade Center on 9/11.

Bringing up 9/11 reminded me of a story I wrote a few years earlier about one of America's greatest unknown heroes, a man named Rick Rescorla, who saved so many lives that fateful day in the Towers. Rick was a war hero, whose quick thinking and altruistic leadership saved and comforted scores of men in one of the war's first major battles of the Vietnam conflict in a place called the Ia Drang Valley, where American forces were surrounded and up against insurmountable 10-1 odds.

Over 300 American soldiers and almost 3000 Vietnamese lost their lives in a couple of days. Lt. Rescorla left Vietnam with a Silver Star, a Purple Heart, and Bronze Stars for Valor and Meritorious Service for his incredible efforts to save lives in a place where so many were lost.

After the war, Rescorla went to work for Morgan Stanley as head of security for their Trade Center offices, and it was a job he didn't take lightly. For years he racked his brain trying to think of all the things that could possibly ever go wrong in the towers and all the ways he could get people out safely in those situations.

His biggest concern was terrorism. Before the first Trade Center bombing in '91 he rightly predicted the towers were vulnerable to a bomb detonated in the basement. And prior to 9/11, he told his superiors that the next time it would be a plane filled with gas.

So he prepared. He ran the employees through drill after drill until they knew how to get out of that building in their sleep. He prepared contingency plans for his contingency plans. Then on the morning of the attacks, as the Port Authority instructed everyone to stay put, he led a civilized charge out the door with a bullhorn in hand telling people to get out, no matter what they heard from anyone else.

His well-laid plans worked like clockwork, getting over 2700 of Morgan Stanley's employees out alive, all except Rick and several of his security detail who went back to help others.
As I told the story to my traveling companion, tears began to stream down his face.

He revealed that his daughter worked in the South Tower in the offices of Morgan Stanley, and on the morning of the attacks when the first plane hit the North Tower, the force of the explosion was so intense it shattered the window in her office showering her with glass and debris sending her and her colleagues running for cover, and running right into Rick Rescorla.

My traveling friend's daughter was one of those very lucky people, along with almost every employee of Morgan Stanley, who got out alive, thanks to Rick. When I first told Rick Rescorla's story back in 2001, I knew there were thousands of people thankful for Rick's diligence, preparedness and dutiful courage.

But there was no way to know then the true ramifications of his actions, not until this moment when I saw them in the flesh. I heard and felt the joy Rick's devotion and sacrifice made possible pouring out of this grateful father's heart, as he told me of the wonderful life and the beautiful family his daughter was blessed with since then.

As we reflect this year on the anniversary of 9/11 let's remember that in every tragedy, there is an opportunity ¬ in our families, our communities, in our nation and our world ¬to reach out to love in extraordinary ways. The ripple that results will be more amazing than any of us can ever dream of.

~ The author is Chris Benguhe who is a former reporter for PEOPLE Magazine turned internationally published inspirational author and columnist. His latest book "Overcoming Life's 7 Common Tragedies: Opportunities for Discovering God" looks at how to find purpose, value and strength in life's greatest difficulties.

Sue Divine
"Even Kings and Emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of God."

By ur friend
Vishnu
Kerala

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