Trust and Teamwork on 9-11

As was the case with many Americans, Michael Hingson’s life changed dramatically on September 11th. He and his Guide Dog “Roselle” were some of the lucky ones, however, in that they escaped the World Trade Center attack. As a WTC survivor and as a Guide Dog user, he was thrust into the international limelight. Michael and “Roselle” became well-known as representatives of the strength of the human/animal bond all over the world.

Here's how Michael described that fateful day.

"You need to understand the process and teamwork of a guide dog team. Roselle’s job is to insure we walk safely. She does not know where I want her to go nor would she know how to get there. If you will, she is the pilot moving us while I am the navigator who directs us. We function as a team.

Roselle and I went to the stairs I chose. It happened that the stair well was open and usable. If it had not been so then I would have gone to one of the other two sets of stairs. Roselle and I walked down the stairs just as we always did in fire drills. Of course, the difference is that we had to descent 78 floors?instead of only a few. At the bottom of the stairs we had to run through running sprinklers to get into the lobby of Tower one. We then were moved quickly through the lobby, through the shopping arcade on the first floor and finally outside. We made it out into the sun light at 9:45AM, one hour after the plane hit our building.?

The most vivid memory I will keep of that day was the thought of those brave firemen going up into the flames without hesitation. They all stopped to ask if I needed assistance. I told them I was fine.

I told them I had Roselle with me and that they need not worry. I and others in the group asked if we could help them as they were carrying all their equipment. They told us our job was to descend and get out. We did our job and they died doing their job.

Another vivid memory is how when our group?started to?descend?more than the 1,460 steps. at one point, a woman stopped and said she couldn’t breathe because of the smell of jet fuel. In a panic, she cried out that?we wouldn’t get out alive.

It was then that Roselle began “giving her kisses.”?and literally gave the woman the courage to continue the descent after we all?paused for a group hug."

Here is Michael's advice to parents :

"Encourage your kids to be alert. Develop an emergency plan for such things as earthquakes, storms, etc. Help kids to understand that change is not a bad thing. DO NOT TEACH THEM TO BE AFRAID OF LIVING.?

The reason I survived is that I did all I could to prepare for any imagined emergency by taking such precautions as participating in every fire drill. I went to the WTC evacuation preparedness classes. I learned the locations of all the stairs. I did not wait for an emergency to learn what I needed to know.?

Children can be taught to be prepared without teaching them to be afraid. Living in fear paralyzes the body. Living with knowledge and strength empowers us to deal with more than we ever imagined we would have to face."

NOTE:?Roselle was posthumously named American Hero Dog of the Year in 2011 by the?American Humane Society , beating seven other finalists in a public vote which saw more than 400,000 people vote.

In 2009, Michael Gaither wrote and published a song titled "Roselle" about Roselle's life. It appeared on his album Dogspeed released in 2009. Visit this link to hear it on Youtube.

In 2015 Michael co-authored with Susy Flory Thunder Dog : The True Story of a Blind Man and His Guide Dog and the Life-changing Power of Trust and Faith in the Face?of Terror.

#hero #loyalty #love #hope #faith #duty #friendship #family #sacrifice #truth