Michael Hingson was on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the building at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001. He was blind. His yellow Labrador guide dog, Roselle, was asleep under his desk.
1,463 Steps Down
The impact was above them -- floors 93 to 99. The building swayed. The air filled with smoke, jet fuel, and the sound of things no one should ever hear. Hingson said later that in that moment of total panic, Roselle did something extraordinary: she stood up, wagged her tail, and waited.
She wasn't panicked. She was ready.
Hingson grabbed her harness, and Roselle led him into the stairwell. For the next hour, they descended 78 floors -- 1,463 steps. The stairwell was packed with terrified people. Smoke was thickening. Some people were coming up as firefighters headed toward the impact zone. Roselle led Hingson through all of it, navigating around debris, stopping when the crowd stopped, staying calm when everyone around them was breaking down.
Out Into the Dust
They made it to the lobby and then outside, just before the South Tower collapsed. The force of the collapse sent a wall of debris and dust toward them. Roselle led Hingson to a subway station, still calm, still working, her tail still going.
Hingson later said: "While everyone else was in a state of shock, Roselle remained focused. She knew her job. She led me to safety because that's what she was trained to do -- and I believe God put her there for that exact day."
What This Means for You
Roselle didn't understand terrorism or geopolitics. She understood her person. And on the worst day in modern American history, that was enough. God places specific provision in your life before you know you'll need it. Hingson had been with Roselle for two years before September 11th. The preparation preceded the crisis. Look at what's already beside you.