A hero defined by webster dictionary is a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities(“hero”). This can be achieved by anyone, no matter their social status, past failures, physical build or level of intelligence. On 9/11 many people died. The death toll could have been much higher if it wasn’t for some heros. These heroes were normal everyday people who stepped up when things got tough and saved the lives of others. These people are now looked on as a hero to the people who they saved that day. William Rodriguez is known as the “Hero of 9/11”, also referred as the “last man out” of the first twin tower that collapsed on the day of September 11, 2000. He saved hundreds of lives
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As a young man he worked under the stage name "Roudy" as an assistant to magician James Randi (Hanley). He also did some magic himself. Rodriguez had previously been featured on television in Puerto Rico escaping from a chained straitjacket while hanging from a burning rope. This was before the 9/11 attacks. He was just a normal everyday person like you and me. He then got a job as a janitor in the North World Trade Center for 20. He did maintenance and helped keep the tower up and running. He was responsible for the upkeep and safety of the the three stairwells, A, B, C in the North Tower designated as WTC1, a class “A” building (Hanley). On the morning of 9/11 Rodriguez was the only person at the World Trade Center site to have the master key to the North Tower stairwell doors.
The day of September 11, 2000 was a day full of defeat and sorrow. William Rodriguez took action during the devastating crisis of 9/11 and saved many lives risking his own life for others. Rodriguez stated that he usually clocked in at 8:00 a.m. and rode an elevator to the 106th floor, where Hispanic employees of the Windows on the World restaurant fed him a free breakfast (. However, on the morning of September 11, 2001, Rodriguez was half an hour late and so reported directly to a basement office of his employer, American Building …show more content…
Rodriguez thought it was just a generator explosion. A man ran into the room with his skin vaporized off. The man said fireballs were coming down the elevators and exploding. William was the only person with a master key so he successfully unlocked the doors and helped all the maintenance people out. At that moment he met firemen at the door.The 9/11 Commision report says “ "FDNY chiefs in the North Tower Lobby determined all at once that all building occupants should attempt evacuation immediately"(The 9/11 Commision Reports, pg.287). It also says "The deputy fire safety director has told us that he begun a full evacuation within ten minutes of the first explosion"(The 9/11 Commision Reports, pg.287). William Rodriguez lead firemen up the stairs with his set of the ‘master key’. He unlocked doors and helped injured peers down to the Lobby The 9/11 commision report said “The FDNY chiefs in the increasingly crowded North Tower Lobby were confronting critical choices with little or no information. They had ordered units up the stairs to report back on conditions…”(The 9/11 Commision Report, pg.290). He helped rescued hundreds of people's lives that
As a young man he worked under the stage name "Roudy" as an assistant to magician James Randi (Hanley). He also did some magic himself. Rodriguez had previously been featured on television in Puerto Rico escaping from a chained straitjacket while hanging from a burning rope. This was before the 9/11 attacks. He was just a normal everyday person like you and me. He then got a job as a janitor in the North World Trade Center for 20. He did maintenance and helped keep the tower up and running. He was responsible for the upkeep and safety of the the three stairwells, A, B, C in the North Tower designated as WTC1, a class “A” building (Hanley). On the morning of 9/11 Rodriguez was the only person at the World Trade Center site to have the master key to the North Tower stairwell doors.
The day of September 11, 2000 was a day full of defeat and sorrow. William Rodriguez took action during the devastating crisis of 9/11 and saved many lives risking his own life for others. Rodriguez stated that he usually clocked in at 8:00 a.m. and rode an elevator to the 106th floor, where Hispanic employees of the Windows on the World restaurant fed him a free breakfast (. However, on the morning of September 11, 2001, Rodriguez was half an hour late and so reported directly to a basement office of his employer, American Building …show more content…
Rodriguez thought it was just a generator explosion. A man ran into the room with his skin vaporized off. The man said fireballs were coming down the elevators and exploding. William was the only person with a master key so he successfully unlocked the doors and helped all the maintenance people out. At that moment he met firemen at the door.The 9/11 Commision report says “ "FDNY chiefs in the North Tower Lobby determined all at once that all building occupants should attempt evacuation immediately"(The 9/11 Commision Reports, pg.287). It also says "The deputy fire safety director has told us that he begun a full evacuation within ten minutes of the first explosion"(The 9/11 Commision Reports, pg.287). William Rodriguez lead firemen up the stairs with his set of the ‘master key’. He unlocked doors and helped injured peers down to the Lobby The 9/11 commision report said “The FDNY chiefs in the increasingly crowded North Tower Lobby were confronting critical choices with little or no information. They had ordered units up the stairs to report back on conditions…”(The 9/11 Commision Report, pg.290). He helped rescued hundreds of people's lives that