Hero of 9/11: The Man in the Red Bandana

Welles Crowther was a young equities trader who saved many lives on September 11th, 2001.

The World Trade Center memorial that records Welles Crowther’s name (Image by Christina Schreck from Pixabay)

September 11th, 2001 stands out as a frightening day in history that demonstrated the very worst of what human beings can do to one another. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives when hijackers crashed jet planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

Yet among all the death and destruction came tales of humanity overcoming terror. Injured officer workers helped each other, strangers pulled their trapped and stricken neighbours from the rubble, and dispatch staff stayed on phone lines with people who knew they would not survive.

It brought to mind the renowned children’s television presenter Fred Rogers, who famously said: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster … I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”

And few could be as caring or inspiring on 9/11 as 24-year-old Welles Crowther, the equities trader who became known as The Man in the Red Bandana.