Welles Crowther receives Medal of Freedom for 9/11 heroism
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In the United States, Welles Crowther posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his actions during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Crowther, known as “the man with the red bandana,” grew up in Nyack, New York, and always carried a red bandana his father gave him. He worked as a stock trader on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower when it was struck by a plane on 9/11.
After the impact, Crowther calmly led people from a gathering point on the 78th floor down the stairs to safety, repeatedly returning to help others. He even carried an injured woman down 17 flights of stairs. His family later identified him as the “man with the red bandana” through accounts from survivors and photographs. Crowther’s body was found months later with those of firefighters, and his family learned he had planned to become a professional firefighter.
Estimates suggest he saved as many as 18 lives that day. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award given to civilians in the United States, and Crowther's story is also commemorated through the Red Bandana Project and an annual football game at his alma mater, Boston College.
