Trump to award Medal of Freedom to Boston College grad Welles Crowther, remembered as "Man in the Red Bandana"
Welles Crowther, the Boston College graduate remembered as "The Man in the Red Bandana" for his heroism during the Sept. 11 attacks, will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
President Donald Trump announced this at a rally in New York while recognizing Crowther's actions on Sept. 11, 2001. Crowther repeatedly guided people to safety inside the South Tower of the World Trade Center before dying in the terror attack.
"I just want to congratulate his great mother in doing a phenomenal job in raising that young man," President Trump said during the announcement. "Boy, what bravery. He saved those people and became a legend in a sense. Nobody else would have done what he did so he is going to be getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom."
Crowther, who graduated from Boston College with honors and was on the lacrosse team, is memorialized on campus at the school's 9/11 memorial. His story has become a lasting symbol of courage and selflessness.
Crowther is a Nyack, New York native. In 2001, at age 24, he was working as an equities trader in the South Tower.
After the attack, survivors described being led through smoke and flames by a man wearing a red bandana over his face. That description eventually identified Crowther as the person credited with helping save as many as 18 lives before the tower collapsed.
His mother, Alison Crowther, has continued sharing her son's story around the world, encouraging others to live lives centered on service and compassion.
"I just want to say, to me it's such a beautiful thing that even 25 years later, Welles' light still shines brightly," Alison Crowther said at the rally Friday. "His legacy and his example of courage, fearlessness, he was even from a little boy, and his pure humanity that day saving so many lives."
Crowther's legacy remains strong in the Greater Boston community. Boston College honors him each year during its Red Bandana football game.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor and recognizes individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the United States and the world.
