{"id":12803,"date":"2026-09-08T13:17:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T17:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatamericanewsdesk.com\/?p=12803"},"modified":"2026-09-08T13:17:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T17:17:40","slug":"trump-posthumously-honors-9-11s-man-in-the-red-bandana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatamericanewsdesk.com\/featured\/trump-posthumously-honors-9-11s-man-in-the-red-bandana\/njackson\/2026\/09\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Posthumously Honors 9\/11\u2019s \u2018Man In The Red Bandana\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday to Welles Crowther, the 24-year-old volunteer firefighter whose final acts of courage inside the World Trade Center saved as many as 18 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump presented the nation\u2019s highest civilian honor during the Tunnel to Towers Foundation\u2019s \u201cSteel Across America\u201d event near the White House, part of a nationwide commemoration marking 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToday we also remember another hero of 9\/11,\u201d Trump said before recounting how Crowther repeatedly entered the smoke and wreckage of the South Tower to guide strangers toward safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Welles\u2019s mom, Alison Crowther: &quot;This means the world to me, my daughters, Paige and Honor, and our entire family. This will be treasured for generations to come.&quot; \u2764\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yLHns7pJzg\">https:\/\/t.co\/yLHns7pJzg<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MBHGVDkjdZ\">pic.twitter.com\/MBHGVDkjdZ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RapidResponse47\/status\/2097345728016248971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 8, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crowther became known simply as the \u201cMan in the Red Bandana,\u201d but the survivors he helped did not initially know his name. They remembered only the calm young man who appeared amid the chaos with a red bandana covering his nose and mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Rescuer Appears In The Smoke<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crowther was working as an equities trader for Sandler O\u2019Neill &amp; Partners on the 104th floor of the South Tower when the attacks began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A graduate of Boston College and a volunteer firefighter since the age of 16, he drew upon his emergency training as smoke, fire and confusion engulfed the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/collection.911memorial.org\/Detail\/objects\/26703\/rel\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National September 11 Memorial &amp; Museum<\/a>, Crowther reached the devastated 78th-floor sky lobby and discovered injured survivors near the only viable stairwell. He carried one badly wounded woman on his back, led a group downstairs and then climbed back toward the danger to help others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe just did things that people said were not even imaginable,\u201d Trump said Tuesday. \u201cHe willingly made all of these trips up and down, up and down, over and over again, saving life after life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From the National September 11 Memorial &amp; Museum:<br><br>\u201cOn Sept. 11, New Yorkers demonstrated extraordinary courage and risked their lives to save others. One of these heroes was the man in the red bandana, Welles Crowther.<br><br>When hijacked Flight 175 hit the World Trade Center\u2019s South\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kriboD2eAy\">pic.twitter.com\/kriboD2eAy<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RapidResponse47\/status\/2097344062684623139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 8, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crowther reportedly helped extinguish fires, administered first aid and issued clear instructions to survivors who were frightened, injured and struggling to see through the smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He could have continued down the stairs and escaped. Instead, he turned around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Again and again, Crowther went back for people who could not save themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investigators later found his remains in the wreckage of the South Tower alongside firefighters and other emergency workers. He was believed to have still been participating in rescue efforts when the building collapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Clue That Revealed His Identity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For months, Crowther\u2019s family did not know what he had done after leaving a final voicemail telling his mother he was safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The answer emerged in 2002, when survivors publicly described the mysterious rescuer who had directed them through the burning tower. They could not provide his name, but they all remembered the red bandana around his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After reading their accounts, Crowther\u2019s mother contacted the survivors and showed them photographs of her son. They recognized him as the man who had saved them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHis family learned through witness accounts that Welles\u2019 compassion, leadership and unwavering commitment to others were key to his courage in his final moments,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellescrowthertrust.org\/welles-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust<\/a> recounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The red bandana had been part of Crowther\u2019s life since childhood. His firefighter father had given it to him when he was a boy, and Crowther continued carrying one as an adult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump recalled that Crowther once made a striking prediction about the simple piece of red cloth: \u201cWith this red bandana, I\u2019m going to change the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLittle did he know, on September 11th Welles saved many, many people before losing his own life,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Hero\u2019s Light Still Shines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump first announced the award during a May appearance in Crowther\u2019s home county in New York after Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) advocated for the recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s such a beautiful thing that even 25 years later, Welles\u2019 light still shines brightly,\u201d Crowther\u2019s mother, Alison, said at the time, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfmd.com\/2026\/05\/22\/trump-announces-highest-civilian-honor-for-9-11-hero-remembered-as-the-man-in-the-red-bandana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of Crowther\u2019s bandanas now sits inside the 9\/11 Memorial &amp; Museum, where it serves as a reminder that even in one of America\u2019s darkest hours, extraordinary courage could be found in an ordinary object\u2014and in the young man wearing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His legacy also lives on through the charitable trust established in his name, educational programs teaching young people about character and service, and Boston College traditions honoring its fallen alumnus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cSteel Across America\u201d tour has carried a massive beam recovered from the World Trade Center through communities across the country. Tunnel to Towers said the journey was created to preserve the memory of the 2,977 people killed on Sept. 11 and the bravery demonstrated that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis tour is about ensuring that every generation can remember, and truly understand, what happened 25 years ago,\u201d Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller said when the <a href=\"https:\/\/t2t.org\/steel-across-america-tunnel-to-towers-foundation-launches-nationwide-tour-to-mark-25-years-since-9-11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">national tour was launched<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Standing near that battered piece of steel Tuesday, Trump formally placed Crowther among the nation\u2019s most honored civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToday, in honor of his incredible bravery and all of the other countless unknown acts of heroism that day, it is my privilege to award\u201d Crowther the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 25 years after Crowther made his final trip up the stairs, the identity of the Man in the Red Bandana is no longer a mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His name\u2014and what he chose to do when others needed him most\u2014will not be forgotten.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday to Welles Crowther, the 24-year-old volunteer firefighter whose final acts of courage inside the World Trade Center saved as many as 18 people. Trump presented the nation\u2019s highest civilian honor during the Tunnel to Towers Foundation\u2019s \u201cSteel Across America\u201d event near the White [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,26],"tags":[685,8,1903,2404],"class_list":["post-12803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-9-11","tag-donald-trump","tag-presidential-medal-of-freedom"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trump Posthumously Honors 9\/11\u2019s \u2018Man In The Red Bandana\u2019 - Great America News Desk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/greatamericanewsdesk.com\/featured\/trump-posthumously-honors-9-11s-man-in-the-red-bandana\/njackson\/2026\/09\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump Posthumously Honors 9\/11\u2019s \u2018Man In The Red Bandana\u2019 - Great America News Desk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday to Welles Crowther, the 24-year-old volunteer firefighter whose final acts of courage inside the World Trade Center saved as many as 18 people. 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