Colonel Will G. Merrill Jr., “a native of Ashland, Wisconsin, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with the Class of 1958. He served overseas for eleven years in Germany, Vietnam, Korea and Greece. He retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of Colonel in 1989. He is a graduate of the Artillery Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Army Ranger Course, the Army Airborne Course, the Armed Forces Staff College and the DOD Language School courses in Spanish and Greek. He has also earned a Master’s Degree in Business from Webster College. After completing his military service he became Vice President of a nationwide Home Inspection Service and later Vice President of a Wireless Communications Company.

According to the book description of 9/11 Ordinary People: Extraordinary Heroes: NYC - The First Battle in the War Against Terror!, “as the tenth anniversary of the attack on New York City approaches, this new book relates the stories of many heroic people directly involved at the World Trade Center on 9/11. On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 left Boston’s Logan airport at 7:59 a.m., followed fifteen minutes later, at 8:14 a.m., by United Airlines Flight 175. Both jets were subsequently hijacked by Islamic fundamentalist terrorists and rerouted to a flight path headed toward Manhattan. At 8:47 a.m., just 48 minutes after take-off, Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center; at 9:03 a.m., 16 minutes later, Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

The images of these moments are forever etched in the minds of those who watched them unfold in person and on television. The stories rendered here with stunning emotion and depth of feeling by retired Army Colonel Will Merrill Jr. will stand as vivid reminders of the deep sense of pain experienced by an entire nation. Interviews feature more than sixty heroic people directly involved with the events of that day, including Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the Fire Commissioner of New York City, two Department Chiefs of the Port Authority Police Department and the Senior Deputy Chief of the New York City Police Department as well as ordinary people affected by the loss of human life. Colonel Merrill evokes the spirit of the fallen as both a reminder that the threat of terrorism is still very real and to call attention to those still suffering from the effects of that horrific day.

Many of those exposed to Ground Zero both on 9/11 as well as in the relief effort are experiencing severe health problems, including suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and it is paramount that the heroes of these events never be forgotten. Full of heart wrenching tales of loss and awe-inspiring moments of valor and bravery, Ordinary People: Extraordinary Heroes is a profoundly moving call to arms to make sure the events that occurred that day never happen again on American soil. Introduction by Congressman Peter T. King, Chairman Homeland Security Committee.”