 Greetings from the National Archives flagship building in Washington, D.C., which sits on the ancestor lands of the NACOTS tank peoples. I'm David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and it's my pleasure to welcome you to tonight's discussion on A Life of Selfless Service, Sacrifice, and Civic Engagement, Cyril Rick Rescorla. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001, events that are recorded in documents, audio-visual materials, artifacts, and first-person testimonies preserved in the National Archives. America witnessed many heroic actions during and after the attacks on September 11. Although Colonel Rescorla perished in the attacks, he is credited with saving the lives of 2,700 fellow employees of Morgan Stanley and inspiring all those around him. Our panel tonight will discuss Rescorla's lifelong courage, service, sense of community, and inspirational leadership as a model for our youth on a day in history that we will never forget. Our 9-11 commemorative program is especially important this year, since 20 years later our school children have no memory of the attacks and know them only as an event in history. For this in mind, our National Archives Education staff have created a number of activities in our free docs teach.org resource to help students learn about this turning point in history. At this time, I'd like to share a video highlighting moments of Colonel Rescorla's life of civic service and sacrifice narrated by Sarah Lyons Davis, educator and curator at the National Archives at New York City. Through the lens of the holdings of the National Archives, we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and highlight the story of Cyril Rick Rescorla, one of the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day. My father grew up in the aftermath of World War II in Cornwall, England. His first exposure to the U.S. was through his relationships with U.S. soldiers stationed nearby. He listened to their stories and loved watching the westerns they invited him to see with them. He's a big western fan. Through their eyes, he saw America as a place of wonder, adventure and opportunity. Must have seemed like a totally different world to a child playing in bombed-out buildings in World War II. When he came to the U.S., he was without any family here. He didn't even have a job or any connections in America. He stayed in the Brooklyn YMCA until he was accepted into the Army. Through his military service, he was offered a path to citizenship and education through the GI Bill. He was always grateful for the opportunities that our country afforded him, and he viewed service to his fellow Americans as a member of their community as a treasured obligation in return for those opportunities. Rascorla immigrated to the United States in 1963 and enlisted in the U.S. Army with a recruiter in Times Square, New York City. We see these important dates noted on his report of separation, or DD 214. Rascorla's dedication to duty was recognized with awards both during his life and posthumously. Duty carried Rascorla to Vietnam, where he served with distinction. Rascorla graduated from Officer Candidate School in April 1965 and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, as the 2nd Lieutenant of the Bravo Company. Shortly after arriving in Vietnam in 1965, Rascorla's unit saw combat. He would earn the Purple Heart, two bronze stars, one with a valor device, the Vietnamese Cross for Gallantry with gold star, and a silver star medal for his actions at HLZ X-ray and Albany. Rick Rascorla was a strong battlefield leader, always the first one to fix bayonets. His platoon was known as Hardcore for their tough realistic training in the high discipline standards placed on him by Rick. Noted on the award of the Bronze Star Medal for Heroism with V-Device, 2nd Lieutenant Rascorla distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous action on 3 October 1965, while serving as a platoon leader on a search-and-destroy mission in the vicinity of An Ki Republic of Vietnam. Rascorla's conduct during the battle foretold the bravery and leadership he exhibited the following month during the three-day battle of Yad Rang, November 15-17, 1965, often considered the first and one of the most significant battles of the Vietnam War, and a turning point in the military operation. The military company would be the only unit to fight both at HLZ X-ray and again at HLZ Albany. Acting to reserve for Hal Moore's battalion on HLZ X-ray, they would be instrumental in stopping enemy attacks on the morning of 16 November 1965. Less than 24 hours later, Rick's platoon would once again be called into battle to rescue their stricken battalion and leap into the tall elephant grass off their Huey helicopters. During the night, Rascorla personally led a three-man element to crawl forward and rescue the nine remaining members of his decimated Charlie Company. Hal Moore would later write that Rick Rascorla was an extraordinary battlefield leader, quite simply the best platoon leader of infantry you've ever known. His Silver Star citation recounted, as 2nd Lieutenant Rascorla's platoon came under intense hostile fire, he demonstrated courage, strategy, and professional competence, which ensured the successful accomplishment of his platoon's mission. He was most instrumental in the defense of the landing zone and the defeat of the Viet Cong Battalion. We see Rascorla with his rifle and bayonet in the psychotic combat photograph taken by Associated Press reporter Peter Arnett on one of the battlefields of the Yad Rang Valley. To his men, he was legendary, fearless, and always calm under extreme stress. He was always led from the front, never asking his soldiers to do anything that he would not himself do. He is also known for his devotion both to his soldiers and to his unit. During his military service, he was known for strong leadership, judgment, and dedication to his men. These same attributes would be recounted by those he led to safety on September 11, 2001. Colonel Rascorla represents the service and sacrifice felt by so many families on September 11, 2001. As vice president for corporate security for the financial firm, Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter and Company, he died while assuring that all other staff had safely evacuated the South Tower. This heroism saved nearly 2,700 lives and was documented through first-person accounts and later publications. From accounts of survivors, an image emerged of Rascorla calmly leading the evacuation of the South Tower. Using a bullhorn, he gave instructions for a safe exit, as captured in a cell phone photo taken by one of the employees. Remembered for softly singing Cornish ballads to soothe his soldiers during times of intense fear in Vietnam, he sang these same songs over a bullhorn as he told them that, today is a day to be proud to be an American. Security deputies Jorge Velazquez, Middle, and Wesley Mercer, right, shown alongside Rascorla are also listed among the fatalities of September 11, 2001. Although Rascorla had every opportunity to save himself, he chose to ensure all those working in his office were safely out of the tower. Rascorla was last seen headed into the tower instead of seeking safety. A U.S. Army military retirement identification card was the only piece of physical evidence recovered of Colonel Rascorla in the rubble of ground zero. Nearly 3,000 individuals, office workers, airplane passengers and crew, and first responders perished as a result of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the Shanksville, Pennsylvania site. Tens of thousands more who were exposed to the toxins released as a result of the attacks have suffered from chronic illnesses, and more than 2,000 have died since 2001. The holdings of the National Archives document stories of a nation, individuals, such as Rascorla, called to moments of action during extraordinary times. We honor their memories and preserve their stories through the documents of the National Archives. Visit DocsTeach, the online tool for teaching with documents from the National Archives for educational activities created by National Archives educators to support teaching about these important historic topics, including 9-Eleven, Civics, and Public Service. And now it is my honor to welcome our distinguished panel, our moderator is Megan Jones, Senior Director of Education Programs, 9-Eleven Memorial and Museum in New York City, and our panelists are Dr. Conrad Crane, Chief of Analysis and Research for the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, Dr. Lisa Young, Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, and Jenna Ryle, Director of Civics for All, Department of Social Studies, New York City Department of Education. Now let's hear from our panel. Thank you for joining us. Welcome to tonight's program. My name is Megan Jones, and I serve as the Vice President of Education Programs at the 9-Eleven Memorial Museum in New York City. I'm honored to be joined tonight by Dr. Conrad Crane, Dr. Lisa V. Young, and Jenna Ryle to discuss the legacy of leadership, selfless service, and sacrifice exemplified by Rick Rascorla on this eve of the 20th anniversary of 9-Eleven. His actions throughout his life and on that Tuesday morning serve as a powerful lesson for the next generation who have no memory of the attacks. On 9-Eleven, Rick Rascorla was the head of security for Morgan Stanley, where he gained a reputation for rigorous training and insistence that all employees, including and senior executives, participate in evacuation drills from company offices. They occupied 22 floors of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Rascorla timed his employees with a stopwatch to make certain that not everyone loved. On 9-Eleven, Rascorla used a bullhorn to expedite evacuation of his employees on the 44th floor, as you saw in the film. Many employees of Morgan Stanley attribute their survival on 9-Eleven to Rascorla's decisiveness that morning and his planning in advance of the attacks. Here is a clip from an oral history of his co-worker, Dan Fitzpatrick, speaking about Rick helping during the evacuation of the South Tower. And the way I heard it is that when people were exiting down after the first plane hit the first tower, you know, a speaker came on, the loudspeaker for employees, kind of the public announcement saying, go back up to your desks and stay in the building, which was common protocol, I think, at that time because there was probably glass flying from the other buildings and, you know, debris coming down and whoever thought that a plane would hit the second building. And it's amazing to me that Rick stood on that 44th floor with that bullhorn, and he had the strength of character and the courage to tell people to disregard that and to exit the building. So not many people would have done that disregarding a public announcement like that. So I think that just says a lot about him. What strikes me beyond the courage and sacrifice that he demonstrated that morning was his focus not just on people's physical safety, but on their emotional well-being as well, something that he demonstrated not only on 9-11, but also on the battlefield. And we know this because of a letter written to Colonel Hal Moore about his experience in Vietnam. So I'd like to start our conversation with you, Dr. Crane, by asking you to share with us how you acquired the Hal Moore papers and what they reveal about the relationship between Hal Moore and Rick Rescorla. Thank you very much. I am honored to be a part of this program. I had the honor to meet Rick Rescorla at West Point in 1992. I then retired Lieutenant General Hal Moore and Joe Galloway came to there to talk about the 1965 Battle of the Aya Drang in Vietnam, which you've already heard about and described in their great book, We Were Soldiers Once and Young. Lieutenant General Moore brought with him a number of the officers who fought with him there at LZXRA when he was Lieutenant Colonel. And there was a truly electric atmosphere at West Point. No place honors warriors with more fervor. I had the privilege to have dinner with General Moore and his bands of brothers. I found Rescorla particularly gracious and witty, but it was very clear that this group had forged a special bond in the cauldron at the Aya Drang. Later I had General Moore's son as a student in my classes at the Army War College, and I stayed closely tied with the family until it was time for them to find an archive for his personal papers. We received them for the rich collections at the U.S. Army Heritage Education Center. In those documents, Moore often praised Rescorla, even selecting that famous iconic picture of the young Lieutenant for the cover of his book, We Were Soldiers Once and Young. In those papers, I found a letter that was scrolled written to help with the book, and I like to read some excerpts for the audience. I think that one of the big reasons, Ricco Scorla, could be such a hero on 9-11, that he'd been a hero before. The everything started on the two thirty in the afternoon on the 14th of November, 1965. He describes in the letter that the 38 men of the first platoon of Bravo two seven were sprawled in a dusty area of a stadium part of the Brigade Reserve. All of a sudden the Italian officers run up, stand by to reinforce one seven. Things are getting worse. There'll be you'll be up against NVA regulars. They're swarming down from the coup fond. The LZ is secure, but might not be when you get there. Situation worsening. No maps to the area are available. I called the platoon together for once every man was wide awake, hanging in every word. They'd been well trained before they properly prepared for heavy combat. We'll fight to the death because there's nothing else we can do. Remember, the NVA will take no prisoners. It's nothing personal. They don't have any way of guarding you or feeding you. Don't expect any mercy. I yanked on the fatigue jacket of a possible eight ball and jerked him to his feet. If you put your head down and do nothing, you will be dead meat. Do you all understand? Stay together as a unit, shop to each other, keep in touch in the high grass. Don't expect perfect targets. Every man must keep firing. Don't stop to help the wounded until you've dealt with the NVA. Our first big one. I was worried about hesitation from some of the inexperienced troopers. Forty percent of the draft teams. I mean, he really is his letter is a perfect example. How to bring a green unit into combat to get into the drop zone. He spends that first day taking up positions to help Colonel Moore. The second day acts almost like a fire brigade for Colonel Moore doing combat actions back and forth across the LZ. He talks about the fact there were blood curdling scenes everywhere, describing the landing zone. One of the most tragic things the missions he has that day is when Colonel Colonel Moore comes up late in the day says, man, I need your help. He points to the clusters of bodies in the LZ. Those are my men. I want to take them home. I promise them that much. So at the end of that second day, he spends time helping Colonel Moore police up bodies. The various as he calls it, a hot, sad task. But the night that that night of the 15th into the 16th is when it really makes his mark. And that's going to recognize for in his in his Silver Star citation. They're there in the main defensive line. He writes about it. We took the last stretch before nightfall. I left my soldiers with they'll come at us fast and low. You won't have neat targets. Keep your fire at the height of a crawling man. Make them pass through a wall of steel. That'll keep them out of your foxholes. One of the youngest soldiers asked me, what if they break through? They break through and overrun us, but grenades around your hole. Lay them in the parapet. Get your head below ground, lying your back in your hole. Spray bullets at their heads. We do our job. They won't get that far. He goes back in and this is kind of the image of Rick Rascala. We all have what he talks about. It's dark. It's two o'clock in the morning. The booby traps start going off and flashes are all around. We can see nothing but it to our front. So he coordinates fires in the moment of silence. He says, I can count and encourage talk between the foxholes. No injuries. The silences grew tense. So I sang Wild Colonial Boy and a courtish rugby mining favorite going up Camborn Hill. Anybody seen the movie Quiet Man? They actually sing Wild Colonial Boy in the Tavern and Innisfree during that movie. I'm sure the atmosphere is very different there than it was on a battlefield with the eye of drying as he was singing. Slow and steady tune, shots of hardcore along the line told me we were standing firm. It comes in. The enemy troops get within seven meters of his lines. There are grenades blowing up all along the front, but his men hold and they survive. So when it closes out, he flies out the next day. He talks about the fact that most of the platoon was smiling. Suddenly a grenadier next to me threw up on my lap. I understood how he felt. He was like many. A man who had fought bravely even though he had no stomach for the bloodletting. Then at the end, he talks about the last hit at the end of the day. The night after a shower, but no fresh clothing. Then I joined the officers of 1-7 at the Holloway Club. We savored the cold beer, but did not go overboard. There was much to reflect on. There was no boisterous celebration of our victory, but a sense of unity. We had all lost close comrades. As the evening ended, we gravitated in a tight circle around Moore. The commander could not have moved if he wanted to. The nearest men were jammed against him like a rugby scruff. Every few minutes, the four or five men closest to the commander would be gently edged aside with elbows. That circle would then become the inner one, the inner circle locked eyes of the commander and unspoken mutual respect was exchanged. Now and then someone would grunt, Gary Owen or a swear word with the same tone as one would say, amen. All of the 12 or so sweating officers would learn something special about themselves and each other while serving with Moore in the cauldron of the 7th Calvary in the I-Draft. Thank you. Thank you. I'm wondering, you know, as you were reading excerpts from the letter and talking, I know that Resorla refused treatment for his wounds until his men were safe. Just another example of, you know, putting others before himself. And we see that same thing on 9-11 when he went back into the towers even though he knew there was danger. So, Karius, from your perspective, what do these documents teach us about Resorla's character as a person and the belief that he had in taking care of others around him when the danger was very real? I mean, from a military man's perspective, I mean, he's a perfect example of a leader. He cared for his troops. He did everything. He was tough when he had to be tough. He was really tough love with some of the guys, some of the new guys. He talked right to Alston in the letter about one of his old soldiers who, he was yelling at him because he wouldn't get down and the old soldier said, sir, that's okay if you're young guys, but my knees are bad. I can't do that. So he kept denying that guy through the battle to make sure that he didn't get, and he did. He survived the battle, they got through it. He cared about each individual, but he cared about a compsion mission. He helped, he bailed out Colonel Moore. Colonel Moore, again, Colonel Moore wasn't even in his battalion. He wasn't even in the same battalion. And yet he respected Rescorla so much, I call him the best platoon leader he'd ever seen. I'd like to focus in a little bit more on his leadership and his actions. From the World Trade Center on 9-11, Rescorla called his lifelong friend, Dan Hill, who served with him in Vietnam. And he told Hill that he was taking some of his security men and making a final sweep to make sure that no one was left behind or injured or lost, just as you were describing in the military perspective as well. And then he was gonna evacuate himself. So I'm curious, Dr. Young, what do both of these examples in Vietnam and also on 9-11 tell us about the characteristics of a leader and sort of the habits of mind that are required for someone to be a successful leader? Yes, thank you. I'm so honored to be here and so moved by being a part of this. So thank you very much. And I think, you know, at West Point, we try to both model and teach, you know, the old Gandhi, we turned to Gandhi, interestingly enough, you know, we, the old saying that your beliefs become your thoughts and your thoughts become your words and your words become your actions and then your actions become your habits and then your habits become your values and your values become your destiny. And so I think when I think about Raskola, I think of someone who was consistently engaged in the right practice of reflection and really knew himself so that he could orient toward others. Like he was so service oriented and so otherwise oriented, but what made him really successful is that he knew himself very well, but he cared about others. And I think we try to engender that here at the Academy, that kind of sense of selfless service. And I think that's what made him so amazing for sure. And I'm also curious about the habit of singing. I've heard this several times, whether it was, you know, singing at the battlefield or again, I've heard so many oral histories working at the museum of people remembering that singing and that always resonates with me because you're in one of the most frightening moments of your entire life and you hear that singing. So from your perspective, I'm wondering, you know, why you suppose this was something that he turned to in these dangerous situations? Yeah, and I think it's again, what's really curious about his story is everything seems sort of counterintuitive on the surface, but really what it demonstrates is an amazing amount of empathy. I mean, he knew, you know, how gripping fear can be. So he creates a very benign distraction that allows his soldiers to clear out that fear and engage in something that's, you know, that's unifying and at the same time completely benign. And in terms of helping soldiers manage fear, that's very key, you know, get them engaged in something that's not critical to the mission, but it also is benign enough that it doesn't distract from the mission. So that's why I call them benign distractions. And it's really critical in fear management, but Raskorla was so empathic that he knew this is what we need right now, you know, like he was, I'm sure he was feeling the fear, I'm sure it was palpable, but that's what I think is so wonderful about these stories about him singing. Because if you can imagine being terrified, that would be like almost the perfect antidote, you know, to have a team of folks singing with you. And I just think it demonstrates how empathic and how well he understood what fear was doing to his soldiers. And speaking of that empathy, just, you know, I'm curious with Raskorla's military service and his decision-making on 9-11, how does that illustrate or demonstrate what it takes to rise in a moment? I mean, to have empathy and to put yourself in the shoes of someone else to know that this might be the appropriate action right now with singing, you know, so what else does he show that, you know, or embody the characteristics of rising to a moment? Yeah, I think, you know, I think rising to the moment is really the result of a lifetime of practice. And I think that he did a lot of right practice over and over and over again. The other thing in terms of philosophically, what we do in the military is we train and we train and we train. So there's a level of automaticity in operations that soldiers engage in. And what that automaticity and familiarity with the mission does is it creates the bandwidth that allows you to think and to act. And I think, I really think that that's what was going on. You know, that fear grips your psyche, but if you are really comfortable with what you're doing, then you've got the bandwidth to think and act, if you will. And I think that I see that, I see his actions through that lens, that it's from a lifetime of, you know, reflective practice. And, you know, and being, you know, the old adage courage is just fear holding on a minute longer. You know, often that if you can just stand still in your fear, then you're gonna move right through it and courage is what fills that gap. And again, a little counterintuitive, but it really, I see courage as fear just holding on a minute longer. So. Well, I'm glad that you brought up this idea of reflection because, you know, Jenna, when we, you know, when we talk about also our young people and particularly K through 12 students, many of our lessons and what we try to teach, whether they be adults or young people is to reflect on their learning and to reflect on, you know, on the lesson that's being taught or the concept that we're asking them to explore. So I'm interested to hear your take on after hearing both Dr. Young and, pardon me, Dr. Young and Dr. Crane. So what do you think are important lessons that can be drawn from Rick's story for the K through 12 audience? Megan, much like Drs. Young and Drs. Crane, I am thrilled to be here and I'm just kind of soaking in all of the insight that's coming from both of them. I think when we think about teaching both 9-11 but specifically K through 12 story to the students in K through 12, the most important lesson is that one person can have a significant impact and whether we're talking about this experience or we're talking about this experience on 9-11, I think kind of a mistake of teaching history and of learning history is whether intentional or not our students and our teachers, they take certain figures, they put them on pedestals and we start to think of them as kind of above humanity. And I think the most important lesson for our young people is that this was a person who made a choice to take action in a moment. And I think about that video from the start of the session and the reality that there were moments when he could have gotten out and he need the choice to return into the building. And that's such a moment for teachers to use to talk about agency with students, to talk about those moments in time where people make a choice to act or to not act and his actions at more than one moment in his life had a ripple effect that would likely be impossible to measure. That's also a moment where teachers can discuss scale with their students. We think of the 2700 people that he was responsible for helping bring out a live on September 11 and then the lives that those 2700 survivors impacted and so on and so on. So I think the biggest message from this particular story for our students is that that impact of one person through their service and sacrifice left in a measurable mark of the world. Yeah, and I'm glad that you brought up that point about stories because I've also been thinking about the power of storytelling and the story of even one individual because we do have a generation now. It's hard to believe that there was an entire generation with no memory of 9-11, right? And that connection might not be there but I have found working with students at the museum and with visitors in general that you can tell them that nearly 3000 people were killed on 9-11, but if you tell them one story like the story of Rick Brescorla or the story of Wells Crowther or thousands of other stories of selflessness on that day there is that teachable moment. So I think that that's, you know, it's very important. You know, speaking of Rick's story, another element of the story that was introduced in the film was the fact that he emigrated to the United States from the UK. So again, as an educator from that perspective, why do you think that's important for students to know? Why is that an important element of his story? I think from my perspective, first as someone who works in New York City where we have 1.1 million students who are all living in New York but who are as diverse as anywhere, what's so important for a good number of them is that they can look at this story and they can say, me too. I'm an immigrant to this country too. And my role as a member of this New York community, this American community is valid and vital and can have a significant impact. That's an important example for young people to see themselves reflected. And then for our students who cannot say, me too, who may not have that immigration experience, there's the window. That's a phrase we use for those who aren't educators, mirrors and windows when we talk about how we educate our students, how it's necessary that education holds up a mirror to our students so they can see themselves reflected but also provides a window so they can see the experiences of others reflected. So for students for whom Colonel Rascourla's immigration story is a window, it's a way to see an experience they aren't familiar with, a person living a story that doesn't look like their own and to recognize the importance of that person's impact and the necessity of their role as a member of the community. Yeah, what I'm hearing, there's a through line from everything that you've all been, you know, you've shared so far, which is again, this role as an idea of empathy in many different situations. And so I'm curious to know, you know, how Rick's story can allow us all as educators with different audiences, but nonetheless educators to use social emotional learning to talk about the attacks. So Jenna, in particular with, let's start with K through 12 students. Yeah, I think when we talk about social emotional learning before we even get particularly into how the story can tie into that, it's a really important thing for teachers to think about when teaching September 11th in general is how teachers will use aspects of social emotional learning throughout their exploration of the topic overall, keeping in mind that with any history that is steeped in tragedy, we can expect our lessons to elicit emotional responses in young people. So it's just a good reminder for teachers to pre-think and pre-plan and create that space for students to react to the realities of September 11th in the way that you imagine anyone to react in the same way those of us who were alive in 2001 reacted. But for a kernel or a spoiler of the story in particular, we can consider the goals of social emotional learning. So acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes to develop a healthy self-manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, which is exactly what you were just mentioning, establish maintain supportive relationships, make responsible and caring decisions. So much of what our students can learn through kernel or spoiler of the story shows an example of an adult with social emotional competency, which is what the goal is what we're working towards for our students. Absolutely. And Dr. Crane from the military history side of this conversation, why is the spoiler of the story important to the study of military history? And what are some important lessons you think that people can learn from this papers? Again, I think we've already mentioned the fact that individuals make a difference and Rascoro is a great example of one individual can make a difference. I mean, it goes back to his whole background. He was actually a non-commissioned officer in the British army before he immigrated. So he comes to the United States and he's got a different military experience. And then he, of course, and listened to the army and has quickly put into officer candidate school and rises there. And it's interesting from military standpoint watching how he, I mean, that's where he picked up the singing and the songs he sang were all British rugby and drinking songs, which is interesting for an American audience. You kind of wonder how what the soldiers thought he was drinking while, as he was singing wild colonial boy in the plains of Vietnam. But, I mean, it's just, it's about individual agency. I mean, he just, he makes a difference. Every place he goes, he makes a difference. Through his whole army career, he does, and obviously on 9-11 that he did. So any, and Wellington once wrote that writing about a battle is like writing about a ball because everybody's got their own little experience, they've got a piece together. And that's what military history is all about. It's all these little stories. And Rascoro's story is one of the more inspirational ones you can latch on to. And Dr. Young, how is Rick's story used at West Point specifically? Do you use it with students or how is that used with sort of this next generation of military leaders? Yeah, so I think, and Dr. Crane, you can correct me, but I'm pretty sure that he's mostly highlighted in two departments. One is my department, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, and the other one is the Department of History. And all cadets are required to take a core course in leadership when they are juniors, and they're also required to take a course, a year-long course in military art and history. And in both of those courses, they have very different perspectives. The leadership course is social psychological base, interpersonal stuff, and then the military art and history class is all about the art of war and war fighting. And in both of those, Rick Rascoro plays a great role because his humanity is really important to highlight and leverage in the leadership course. And then his battle acumen and his military excellence is really important to talk about in the military history and military art class. So, he just continues, his legacy lives here and at the National War College. I mean, at the Army War College as well. So, sorry about that. That's okay. Yeah, that's okay. And I'm just thinking about the social emotional piece that Jenna, you were talking about, because I know, again, at the museum, we see a lot of different types of reactions from people to learning these stories, stories like Rick's. And sometimes it's usually the educators, for example, that become very emotional, and the students, not as much, not because they don't care. What I've found is it's more, they ask more questions. So, it's like the more questions they ask, that's how their curiosity is manifesting. And while adults are having this very emotional response, so it's interesting to see the interplay of students seeing their teachers becoming emotional. There's just a lot to unpack there. But I am curious if you have experienced any, are there any emotional reactions or how did the emotional reactions to Rick's story manifest within your experience with students and starting with you, Dr. Young, out of curiosity? Well, you can't talk about, well, I'm a blubberer, right? So, you can't engage cadets in a meaningful conversation about Colonel Rascorla without getting a little teary eyed. And it's interesting, cadets appreciate that level of authenticity. And it's really easy to make cadets cry because they're plugged in, right? And they're like hanging on it. So often, deep discussions, I mean, meaningful engagements about Colonel Rascorla end up in some tears here and there. And that's absolutely fine because it's really important for warriors to learn to connect with their emotions. And that's all about that getting to know yourself and feeling, developing efficacy around your own emotional landscape, if you will. And, but talking about Colonel Rascorla is also very inspiring. And it becomes aspirational for cadets as well. Like, I hope that I can be that one day, be that great one day. And that's what's kind of the wonderful element about talking about him. It's also sort of this grave, you know, very difficult history, but at the same time, this very inspiring story that becomes for a cadet and something to aspire to. It's interesting that you use the difficult history because I think all of us as educators, it's something that can be very challenging to talk about. And sometimes educators almost like that, like you're talking about fear, get in the way of their ability to teach some of that difficult content. And I think, you know, I truly believe that it is important that it's sometimes at the edges of our comfort that we learn the most. And so I'm thinking, you know, in terms of, you know, with K-12 students, what's the significance of teaching this new generation? I mean, talk about a very difficult topic, particularly, you know, with the 20th tomorrow, what's the significance of teaching this next generation with no memory of 9-11 about the attacks? And how does that fit in with civic education? I think just to kind of echo what you said, it really is a challenge for teachers, especially those of us who have been in the profession for a while, as we're teaching something we experienced and we have an emotional response to. I don't wanna speak for all teachers, but like I never wanted to cry in front of my students. It didn't mean I didn't, but you know, I tried not to. I do it all the time. Right, I mean, sometimes it happens. My first year of teaching was 2007. And so I was teaching middle school students and they were New Yorkers who had been between the ages of five and eight when the attacks had happened. So they had memory of the event. And I realized within a few years, I was teaching students who had no memory. And so the day's lesson went from kind of collective commemoration to a lesson in history, which is a challenge to teach something as history that isn't history to you. But I think one of the most significant reasons for teachers, despite all that, to teach young people about September 11th is it provides the context for the world that they live in now. And so for those of us who were alive on September 11th, 2001, we know very well that there was an America before and an America after. And as people who are living in and navigating the world solely in the after, it is in our students' best interests to understand why, understand the gravity of the attacks and the impact that they had on all of us who were alive to witness them and the impact that they had on both domestic and foreign policy. So when you think about current events, to talk to a classroom of students about the withdrawal from Afghanistan without laying out the context of September 11th wouldn't be possible. Perhaps I guess the more emotional and heavier reason is that we're teaching our students to be members of their community, to be active, engaged, caring members of their community. And on September 11th, in New York City alone, we lost 2,606, I believe, members of our community. And that isn't a loss that a city or a country soon recovers from. And it's one that we want our students to absorb and understand. We want them to know the stories of service and sacrifice that came out of that day. But we also want our students to know the everyday losses that an attack of that magnitude creates to kind of consider the impact that each of those individuals had on the communities that they belong to and the gap that that loss left in those communities. Specifically for connecting to civics, we know civic education is understanding that foundations are a nation and our government, yes, it's understanding the rights and the duties that go along with being a member of a community, but be seen an expansion of that rather simple definition. And comprehensive civic education includes thinking about our role as individuals in a society and how systems impact us, how we impact those systems. It's giving consideration to what it means to participate in society and what it means to be actively engaged. So there's so many connections between teaching September 11th and civic education as I mentioned earlier, there's the impact of the attacks that aftermath that it had in our government, our policies, but there's also examples like what we're talking about today. We spend a lot of time on leadership in civic education, K to 12, but particularly with our younger students, what are the characteristics of a leader in the hopes that they will become leaders themselves, but also that they will be able to recognize the leaders in their communities who are worthy of following. And so, Kernara, Squirla, countless others who left into action on September 11th embodied that leadership. Those are the examples that students may not encounter other than through the narrative of the attacks of September 11th. And so we can also use those stories connected to civics. And then a lot of times when we talk about civics, we think about advocacy. And so we can use the aftermath of the attacks to teach our students about advocacy within a community. There are so many examples of active engagement, incredible examples of individuals and organizations that advocated for victims, advocated for survivors, for public policy, for healthcare, for memorialization. And all of those are really important examples of civics that our students can learn from. Now, I think that's a great point. And I also think in terms of agency, I can think of, there's a young woman named Lila Nordstrom who was a senior in high school at Stuyvesant who witnessed the attacks and then went back very soon after the attacks in October, I believe. And advocated for health benefits for the students later on in their lives when they went into college and they didn't have insurance, but were affected by the air quality. So I think again, there's, whether you're talking about, you know, Rick Risforla and then connecting that idea of the principles and characteristics leadership we've been talking about with also young people, an 18-year-old doing something like this. I think there's, you know, power there. And also to your point, even now, what we're coming out of a historic turning point right now and young kids are living through, you know, the pandemic. And I think seeing those leaders like Rick and seeing others showing courage, I think that's why you saw so much of that appreciation for healthcare workers, frontline workers. So many, many connections that we can make from Rick's example to make it relevant for young people. I actually think, you know, we're actually coming full circle beautifully because again, thinking about commemorating the 20th anniversary tomorrow, there has been a lot of, particularly media attention, paid to the fact that there's now this entire generation with no memory of the attacks. It's definitely been something that I've been hearing so much about. And, you know, at the 9-11 Memorial Museum, our flagship education program is called Anniversary in the Schools, which debuted today. And it's a program that seeks to do what we're talking about. Bridging that gap between what is history for young people and is a shared memory, at least for all of us here in this conversation. So this free program is available at 9-11 Memorial.org slash webinar. And it connects viewers with family members, first responders and survivors of 9-11 so that we can expose them to these stories and they're telling their stories in front of artifacts in the museum. I'll just share that today alone, I spent about, my gosh, eight hours answering student questions of about 1.2 million students today alone participated in this program, which is a 30 minute film and then a live chat with museum staff. So there's a lot of curiosity and a lot of interest from young people to understand what happened. And again, we use Rick's story every time we talk about this idea of response and first responders and what it means to serve. So I can think that, you know, I think it's only fitting to sort of wrap up our conversation with one of the speakers that we featured this year in our program. He's a young man who describes himself as a member of what he calls the 9-11 class. And he embodies many of the same qualities of sacrifice, compassion and service as Rick Rascorla. So he's an example of the next generation learning the lessons people like Rick today. I'm Carlton Shelley, Florida native U.S. Army veteran. September 11, 2001, I was a fifth grader in ME Booker Elementary School. And that was a memorable day for multiple reasons. One, President George W. Bush was coming to my elementary to talk about our reading program. And I was one of the best readers. So I was excited. I felt like my work was part of the reason that the president was coming. And that morning I got up really early because he was coming. And while we're sitting in the classroom, I remember being happy and pointing out my friends. There's Michael, there's Victor, there's Isabel, there's Shannon, and this is gonna be a great day. I can watch them walk through the classrooms and just being happy. And then all of a sudden President Bush was leaving. I couldn't conceptualize all the things that were happening that day. And then as he began to explain what had happened, it was quiet. And I remember just feeling dark. And looking to my teachers for support of like, okay, what's going on? It's got really quiet. Everyone's happy. The mood changed a lot. And looking at their faces just saw confusion and fear. And then later I began to find out that as I watched TV and I watched the towers on CNN actually, that they were smoking and people were dying. And as a fifth grader, that's kind of hard to conceptualize. The whole idea of people not being there ever again and that many people not being ever again was really, really difficult to understand. And so through that class, one of our graduating speakers said in fifth grade that we are the 9-11 class. And throughout that, I think that's been important. You hear people say like, history repeats itself. But I'm like, I'm shaking because it is, it's almost overwhelming to stand in the 9-11 Memorial Museum and read words that I wrote about 9-11 when I was in fifth grade. Can I read this first paragraph? Yeah. All right. It's just a lot. Carlton Shelley, Mr. Jenkins graduation essay. We are the 9-11 class. With all the horrific events that happened this school year, which included terrorist attacks or thousands of innocent men, women and children were slaughtered or other countries on the verge of going to nuclear war and the U.S. economy going into a recession, I've become a better person in three extraordinary ways. I have more perseverance because I know this is just a storm that I have to go through. I am more patriotic because a flag is not just a cloth. It is a symbol for all Americans. And last but not the definitely not least, I've become more appreciative. I used to think that being patriotic meant that you just liked your country and proudly wore its colors. Now, I'm 9-11. I know that patriot for me is that I love my country and I believe even if you are Caucasian, African-American, Chinese or any race, we come together as Americans. We stand united to defend our country and its beliefs. In conclusion, over the last year, I've become a better person because I have more perseverance. I'm more patriotic and I'm more appreciative. I will always remember that I am one of the 9-11 class. Thank you. Since fifth grade. I believe that shared experience is where I learned a little bit of perseverance and a lot about service. And I think that's why when I was deciding what college I should go to, I decided I wanted to go to the United States Military Academy at West Point. And more so than that, it gave me an opportunity to be a Buffalo soldier. To be in a historically all black unit coming from West Point, that had just over a thousand black graduates ever, it meant a lot to me. My job as an armored scout was to go out ahead of the unit and find out what was happening, identify the enemy, and make sure that our unit had the best path moving forward. As I think back on the things that I've done from September 11th to West Point, to being a Buffalo soldier in my time there, one thing that I just feel and like am proud of is there's this feeling that I could do anything. So as we think about the events of 9-11 and even in the context of what's happening today, I think there are some things that are similar. Both times, it's just fear and uncertainty. You don't know what's happening, people are dying and you're scared. I think that the important part that I found on 9-11 is that you hold on to the ability to get closer, to go together and move together with one purpose and be together. And I think that is that hope and that resilience, things will get better is what I went through at that time period. And I found it really helpful now. That's what'll help you get through this. And on the other side of it, you're gonna be a better person for it and the world will be better because of you. So I'm curious to hear from each of you, your reaction or response to seeing this young man and his own words describing his experience on 9-11 and his reaction to that. So maybe we could start with Dr. Young, from your perspective, what's your reaction to seeing a Carlton story? Well, I told you, I gotta get all teary eyed. So yeah, that was beautiful. And what's so interesting is today, finally, the United States Military Academy unveiled its monument to the Buffalo soldier. And the whole Corps of Cadets was there and the first black, first captain was here, General Brooks, and it was just a wonderful ceremony. So I just throw that out, there's total aside. But yeah, his comments really resonated and, I mean, he's so moving. But it's interesting how, you know, powerfully shaped people are by violence and by acts of war. And what a, you know, how lucky we are to have kids who then say, I wanna serve, you know, who raise their hands and say, I wanna go to the United States Military Academy. And anyway, I just was really moved by it, it was beautiful. But I hope he knows that we did, that we finally dedicated the Buffalo soldier monument today. It was a fascinating dedication ceremony. And Dr. Crane, again, from your perspective also with the military, what are your thoughts on what Carlton had to say? I don't know if people realize the impact that the global war on terror at 9-11 has had on West Point. As far as percentage of casualties, this is the deadliest war for West Point since the Mexican War. West Point has paid the price. And it's people like Carlton that have allowed, you know, that those are willing to serve and go out and perform those duties for their country is to deserve our respect. But it has been, I mean, West Point has stood proud and it's done their bit and I hope the country appreciates it. Thank you, Dr. Crane. And Jenna, how might you use a story like this or what's your reaction as an educator to the power of Carlton's story with young people? What's your reaction to his words? My initial reaction, like the teacher would be so proud of the younger version of him. And it helps to illustrate, I think, often when we have current events that were national tragedies, we think about them as things that happened to young people rather than things that young people experienced and there is a difference there, right? So often, I mean, when you live anywhere, but particularly when you live in New York, often the conversations about September 11th and where were you and how old were you and all of those things come up. And when I share that my first class of students were middle schoolers who had been five to eight and how different it was to teach kids that didn't remember it. A lot of times the reaction is, well, like five to eight, how much could they have in their memory of September 11th or how much could they have experienced that? And I think the story makes it so clear that our young people are just as involved in our society, just as impacted by the things that are happening around them and then to see the longer term impact of how something that he experiences when a young person continues to impact him today is incredible. And I think it really validates for our young people that they are experiencing these things in a very real way. So I would love to use that with students. Yeah, I hope again, anyone who's watching this evening, if you're interested in hearing more from Carlton, we have then five other speakers, including two young women who lost their fathers on 9-11, talking about their path to healing and two first responders who survived the collapse of the towers. And then also hear from young people from this next generation who weren't alive on 9-11, but what questions they have, you can view that again for free at 9-11memorial.org slash webinar. Again, it's free and available on our website. And if you have any questions for us, you can click the chat bubble and we will answer those questions for you. I just wanna thank all of you so much for taking time out of your evening to discuss this important topic and to really honor the legacy of Rick Rascola. As I listened to everyone share this evening, it reminds me of a section of the mission of our Memorial and Museum, which is just a share of one part of it is, may the lives remembered, the deeds recognized and the spirit reawakened the eternal beacons which reaffirm respect for life, strengthen our resolve to preserve freedom and inspire and end to hatred, ignorance and intolerance. And it was people like Rick Rascola, Carlton Shelley and all of the first responders and people who came to help in the aftermath of 9-11 or any tragedy that serve as these eternal beacons. So thank you all so much. And again, for taking the time and for sharing the thoughts on this, the 20th anniversary of 9-11. Thank you.