“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs,” Rudyard Kipling begins in “If,” his beautifully written poem for his son. It’s a poem of advice and guidance for becoming a well-rounded adult, and dealing with the crises that life will throw at you. Kipling’s son John went on to proudly serve his country and gave his life to save the men around him in the extremes of battle.

The recent anniversary of the fateful day of September 11, 2001, introduced me to a new tale of incredible human achievement, although I had to wait 12 years to learn about it. Given that history presents itself as a continuous cycle of repeated heroic actions, Rick Rescorla’s story is quite simply, well, awesome.

The terrorist attack on New York’s twin towers still resonates with many, and on this very somber anniversary, media outlets continue to show documentaries about the event. During the last eight years, I’ve always shied away from TV at this time because I found I had a personal limit to seeing the devastation, repeatedly from differing angles, and knowing how many lives have been lost.

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