Welles Crowther awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

Welles Crowther, the 9/11 hero known as “The Man With The Red Bandana,” has been posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. The award was presented by President Donald Trump to Crowther’s mother, Alison Crowther, and his sister, Paige, in Washington.

Crowther, a 24-year-old equities trader and former volunteer firefighter, is remembered for his bravery during the September 11 attacks. Rather than fleeing the South Tower, he repeatedly returned to danger to guide nearly 20 people to safety from the 78th-floor sky lobby before losing his life.

In East Islip, student athletes honored his legacy by wearing red bandanas during their games and raising funds for The Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust. His family noted that while he was an equities trader at the time of his death, his actions in the tower reflected his true calling as a firefighter.