President Trump Honors New York’s ‘Man in the Red Bandana’ With Medal of Freedom

Nearly 25 years after he ran back into the burning World Trade Center to save strangers, New York's "Man in the Red Bandana" has received the nation's highest civilian honor.

President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Tuesday to Welles Crowther, the 24-year-old equities trader and volunteer firefighter from Upper Nyack who became one of the enduring symbols of heroism on Sept. 11.

Crowther's mother, Alison, and his sister, Paige, accepted the medal during a ceremony in Washington as the country prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Crowther worked on the 104th floor of the South Tower.

But after United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the building, he didn't immediately head for safety.

Instead, he went down. Then he went back. And back again.

Survivors later described a man with a red bandana covering his mouth and nose, helping injured people find a stairwell and leading them toward safety. Crowther is credited with saving as many as 18 people before he died when the South Tower collapsed.

For months, his family didn't know the full story.

Then survivor Judy Wein described the man who had helped her escape in a New York Times interview. Alison Crowther immediately recognized the red bandana. Her son had carried one since childhood.

And a 24-year-old Wall Street trader became known across the country as the "Man in the Red Bandana."

Tuesday's ceremony was part of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation's Steel Across America tour, which brought a massive steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center to Washington.

Trump said Crowther's Medal of Freedom honored not only his actions, but the countless acts of courage that took place that morning.

The recognition also comes after New York Rep. Mike Lawler pushed for Crowther to receive the award, calling attention to the Rockland County native's story.

His story has been told in books, documentaries and classrooms across the country. A PBS documentary tells the story of the young man who had every reason to run away from danger. Instead, he ran toward it. And nearly 25 years later, America is still remembering why.