Remembering the sacrifice of Rick Rescorla and the thousands of lives he saved on 9/11
Dan Hill, who died in 2015, kept the memory of veteran, friend alive after death in South Tower
Dan Hill was busy upstairs installing new tile in the bathroom of his Crescent Beach home on Sept. 11, 2001, when his wife, Pat, who had been watching television, yelled for him to “come see this now!”
As he descended the stairs, his phone rang. It was his longtime friend Rick Rescorla, calling from the New York World Trade Center where he headed security at the Morgan Stanley headquarters in the South Tower. Morgan Stanley employees occupied the 44th to 74th floors of the building.
Rescorla was in the process of evacuating Morgan Stanley employees from the building.
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With the television tuned to the disaster that was unfolding and Rescorla frantically conversing with Hill on the phone, Hill watched in horror as American Airlines Flight 175, which had been hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists, crashed into the South Tower, killing Rescorla and others. Rescorla had already directed employees to safety and then returned to make sure everyone was out. He later was credited with saving the lives of more than 2,700 employees.
The connection between Hill and Rescorla goes back decades. The two served together in undercover intelligence in Rhodesia and the Belgian Congo. Together they survived near-death experiences while serving in Vietnam.
Rescorla, who was from Cornwall, England, fought in the November 1965 Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam, as an Army second lieutenant in charge of Second Battalion’s Bravo Company.
Hill, an U.S. Army Ranger captain, served with Rescorla and the two became best friends.
The men, both highly decorated for their bravery, went in separate directions following Vietnam, but always kept in touch.
Hill settled in Crescent Beach on Anastasia Island with his wife, Pat.
Rescorla, who lived in the New York area, and Susan Greer were married on Feb. 20, 1999, at the Castillo de San Marco in St. Augustine with the Hills witnessing the ceremony.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James B. Stewart’s book, “Heart of a Soldier,” published in 2002, chronicles their life stories, before and after 9/11. The San Francisco Opera also turned the story into an opera that opened in 2011 on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack. The opera was billed as a “story of war, love, friendship and heroism.”
“I’ve always been in the shadows, behind the scenes, which is best in security and intelligence business,” Hill confided in an interview in 2011. “To have my past in a book and on stage is in opposition to the way I’ve always lived.”
In the St. Augustine area, most people knew Hill as a quiet-mannered, skilled contractor.
“Few people, not even my wife and children, knew that part of my life,” he said of his undercover work with Rescorla. “Now that I’m old and past actively working in that field, it doesn’t matter. Still a lot of people will be a bit shocked, I guess, to learn that the contractor and repair man of Crescent Beach was not the real Dan Hill they knew. I suppose many won’t even believe it,” Hill said.
In 2014, Hill penned his own history in a 722-page book, “A Life of Blood and Danger.” His final entry reads:
“I am old, ill, physically used up by now. I can’t have much time left in this life. I accept that. All born eventually die, and with the life I’ve lived, I should have probably been dead decades ago. I do have one regret: the future holds great challenge. I would like to see that challenge met and overcome and this nation restored to what our founding fathers envisioned. I’d like to be a part of that. Yeah. I’d like to do it again.”
Dan Hill passed away on Oct. 25, 2015, at the age of 76. Pat Hill continues to reside on Anastasia Island.
Post 9/11 concert
The Music by the Sea concert series will feature the U.S. Air Force Top Flight Band on Sept. 15. The talented 10-piece band (with brass section) plays a variety of popular rock and pop hits.
The free event, sponsored by the St. Augustine Beach Civic Association and held at Pier Park, 350 A1A Beach Boulevard, will include a special commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack.
With support of the Veterans Council and the Ancient City Chapter of the Military Officers Association (MOAA), the event will include the posting of colors, Pledge of Allegiance, and a Moment of Silence to remember the lives lost on that date as well as the lives lost fighting terrorism in the Middle East. Activities start at 3 p.m. with the work of local artists on display at The Art Studio located at the south end of Pier Park.
Concert seating opens at 4 p.m. The free concert runs from 7 until 9 p.m. Bring a beach chair or blanket for seating and your own food and drinks. An optional dinner will be available for $10 or less from one of the chefs at the Village Garden Food Truck Park.
Check the website sabca.org or freebeachconcerts.com for details on the food truck menu.