Called a hero, but then ignored - William tells it like it was

They called him a Hero, then ignored him. But William Rodriguez won't stop until they listen.

William Rodriguez is the lead plaintiff in a RICO lawsuit filed against George W. Bush and others. He is alleging conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes. So not only is he speaking for his friends but he is seeking justice for all of the victims, both those who died and those who were injured.

"They (Bush et al) made it happen or let it happen. And if they let it happen, then they made it happen. And they must be held responsible." - Phil Berg (Lawyer representing William Rodriguez)

Arriving at 8:30 on the morning of 9-11 William Rodriguez went to the maintenance office located on the first sublevel of the WTC north tower. Fourteen people were in the office at this time. As he was talking with others, there was a very loud massive explosion which seemed to emanate from between sub-basement B2 and B3 that was so strong it cracked the walls of the maintenance office. Twenty-two other people on B2 sub-basement also felt and heard that first explosion.

Just seconds later there was another explosion way above which made the building oscillate momentarily. This, he was later told, was a plane hitting the 90th floor.

After these explosions, a fellow worker Felipe David came into the office. He said he had been standing in front of a freight elevator on sub-level 1 about 400 feet from the office when fire burst out of the elevator shaft, causing the skin on his face to peel away and burn thirty-three percent of his body. William believes that Felipe David's injuries were caused by the first explosion.

As they spoke, there were more explosions just above B1 and individuals started heading for the loading dock to escape the explosion's resulting rampant fire. William led Felipe David outside to safety. William continued to hear people screaming and returned to the building in spite of police orders. There were people encased in elevators. There were people who needed help.

Upon returning, William heard a swooshing sound coming from the freight elevators on B2 and B3. Water from the fire sprinklers from all of the floors had gone into the elevator shaft. There were two individuals trapped below who were in danger of drowning. Rodriguez was able to secure a long enough ladder to extend into the shaft to facilitate their escape from a watery grave.

As he had possession of just one of the five master keys that opened all of the stairwell doors at each of the floors in the 110 story building and the other four key holders had already left the building, William, who now had the only key, led the firemen up stairwell B.

As William had ascended up the stairwell he, as well as the firemen, had heard explosions from the 20th through the 30th floor. On the 33rd floor, William was able to procure some dust masks from a maintenance office. The air was thick with smoke. Strangely, while William was on the 33rd floor he heard lots of very loud noise as if someone was moving heavy equipment and furniture around on the 34th floor. The reason Rodriguez thought this exceptional was that the 34th floor was completely empty. Elevators did not stop at the 34th floor. It was off limits due to a construction project. This inconsistency caused him to feel fear for the first time.

They continued to ascend to the 39th floor. This is as far as William got before he was turned back by the firefighters. As he began his descent he heard the plane hit the south tower.

Rodriguez is believed to be the last person to exit the North Tower alive, surviving the building's collapse by diving beneath a fire truck. After receiving medical attention at the WTC site for his injuries, Rodriguez spent the rest of 9/11 aiding as a volunteer in the rescue efforts, and at dawn the following morning, was back at Ground Zero continuing his heroic efforts.

William Rodriguez says: "I have tried to tell my story to everybody, but nobody wants to listen.

- William spent hours testifying before the 9-11 Commission behind closed doors. His testimony as an eye witness does not appear anywhere in the 576 page report.

- The National Institute of Safety and Technology (NIST), an independent investigative group ignored his plea to tell his story. He contacted them four times but never got a response.

- William Rodriguez also contacted the FBI who never followed up. The media was not interested. CNN spent a day filming and interviewing him at his home but when it was shown the following day it was thoroughly edited. Some reporters have subtly warned Rodriguez to keep quiet as he could jeopardize his life. They said "You do not know who you are dealing with!"
Read about William Rodriguez at 911forthetruth.com site:

http://www.911forthetruth.com/pages/Rodriguez.htm

http://www.911forthetruth.com/William

Note: This post is taken almost in its entirety from an article titled "William Rodriguez, a 9-11 Survivor" by Deanna Spingola that was posted at http://www.theconservativevoice.com/articles/article.html?id=7762