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Rick Rescorla leading troops at the Battle of Ia Drang Valley.
Rick Rescorla
Episode 3103 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Vietnam Vet Rick Rescorla, a hero of the nation. The featured story appeared on the Military Times website and is titled: Before he was a hero on 9/11, he was a hero in Vietnam. It was submitted by Robert Batemen.
Rick Rescorla was the embodiment of courage, intellect, and leadership. A British-born Vietnam War hero and the savior of thousands on 9/11, Rescorla’s life was a masterclass in selfless service and battlefield valor. At the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang—the U.S. Army’s first major engagement in Vietnam—Rescorla led 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry with fearless resolve. Outnumbered and under relentless attack, he kept his men alive through tactical brilliance, deep preparation, and even morale-boosting songs under fire. He became a legend—“Hard Corps One-Six”—earning the respect of warriors like Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, who called him “the best combat platoon leader I ever saw.”
Decades later, on September 11, 2001, Rick once again faced danger head-on. As head of security for Morgan Stanley in the World Trade Center, he calmly evacuated over 2,000 employees before Tower Two collapsed. Refusing to leave with them, he went back to save more—and never came out. His actions that day saved thousands, just as he had in Vietnam.
Rick was more than a warrior. He was a poet, historian, romantic, and thinker—a man who inspired everyone he met. His legacy lives on not just in medals or memorials, but in the lives he saved and the stories passed down by those who knew his greatness.
Whether in the jungles of Ia Drang or the towers of New York, Rick Rescorla stood firm—always the baddest son of a bitch in the valley.
Listen to Episode 3103 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Rick Rescorla, a hero of the nation.
