Welles Crowther

Welles Crowther at Boston Collegehttps://www.911memorial.orgWhat is a hero? Many people think about heroes as those with superpowers and capes, but in reality there are many types of heroes all around. They may look different but believe it or not, they all contain the same traits. They are all fearless no matter the task at hand, and they are willing to risk their own lives to save the greater good. An example of such a hero is Welles Crowther, a man who died helping multiple people escape the South Tower during the 9/11 attack. He grew up in Nyack, New York with his parents and two younger sisters. A big symbol in the Crowther household, was a red bandana. As a child, Welles' father gave him the red bandana and from that day on, it never left his side. As he got into high school, he not only excelled in his classes, but he was also typically found either at the firehouse, where he trained as a junior firefighter, or on the field, where he played lacrosse. He eventually went to Boston College where he was a top scorer on the division one lacrosse team. After college, he got a job as an equities trader at Sandler O'Neill and Partners, where he worked in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. During that time, he realized his passion lied within another career of firefighting. He was close to switching jobs when 9/11 took place, leaving him to make the decision to become a hero. A hero must possess compassion towards everyone they come upon and bravery, taking action without fear of the unknown. Welles Crowther was not only a hero due to his bravery through the dangerous and traumatic day of 9/11, but was also selfless in the face of extreme tragedy.

Welles Crowtherhttps://www.nydailynews.comOne example of how Welles Crowther shows heroism is through his bravery. He shows how a person can be courageous and take initiative even in the hardest of situations. On 9/11, when two planes departing from Boston crashed into the twin towers, there was a huge amount of chaos. In the 78th floor of the South tower, Welles assisted many people who couldn't help themselves, “The man climbed 17 floors, returning again to the burning sky lobby.  There he found other survivors including Judy Wein… After being lead safely to the stairway, Wein saw the man go back to the burning sky lobby” (Espn, 6:44-7:44). Welles took risks during this time to be as efficient and helpful as possible. It takes a huge amount of courage to assist other people in tragic times. But he didn’t just help once, he returned back up to the burning floor to help other people. Taking action one time is noble on it’s own, but to go back multiple times is unbelievably honorable. No one expected this attack to occur, especially Welles. He faced a large amount of obstacles in his attempt to save people,  “But on 9/11, he wasn't responding with a band of brothers, carrying the right equipment to battle a neighborhood fire. He was all alone, but that didn't stop him… Battling debris, smoke, heat, darkness and terror, Crowther started helping injured and stunned victims evacuate the building” (Mink 8, 10). Welles showed a tremendous amount of bravery by stepping up and becoming a leader on his own. Welles constantly risked his own life to save others while. It takes a lot for someone to act during such scary and dangerous times, so the fact that he battled “debris, smoke, heat, darkness and terror” all on his own, took a lot of bravery and determination. Welles’ bravery was one of the many traits that helped him succeed so well. He was continuously fearless and took risks without knowing what lied ahead of him, so that shows how he can be considered a hero.

Welles Crowther in firefighting uniformwww.crowthertrust.orgWelles was never a guy to put himself first. By being selfless, Welles was able to save multiple people. Without him, those people probably wouldn’t have made it out alive. During the attack, people were unsure of how to escape. They thought they would take one step and the whole building would collapse. During all the confusion, Welles found a functional staircase and a group of people followed without hesitation. “After leading the group down, the man turned and headed back up the stairs. “He said I’m going back up. Because he knows there’s a lot of people up there on the 78th floor that needed help. I mean he could have continued to go down with us, but he didn’t he decided to go back up”” (Espn, starts at 6:26-6:43). Welles selflessness really stood out to the survivors when he chose to return back to the burning floor rather than to stay down at safety. He took risks and sacrificed himself to ensure that others could live on. Not many people would risk their life to save others so that makes him very deserving of being called selfless and a hero. Welles acted in a selfless way by putting his own life on the line to save others: “He is credited with helping at least 10 people escape the tower in several trips up and down stairwells, before perishing alongside a group of New York City firefighters” (Kilgannon 2). He had no regard for his own well being during this experience when he choose to run backup to the burning lobby to help others, when he could have easily evacuated and gotten to safety. He was heroic when he sacrificed himself for the greater good and saved at least 10 people. That’s possibly 10 families he saved from heartbreak so that’s incredibly selfless. In situations like 9/11, being selfless is difficult. Welles proves that even in the toughest of times, people can care for others and put their needs above their own.

9/11 Memorialtwitter.comAs stated above, Welles Crowther showed many characteristics of a hero when he stepped up as a leader and helped multiple people during 9/11. He showed bravery while facing multiple obstacles, and selflessness even during scary times. Welles showed an extreme amount of bravery on 9/11 as he helped people through the burning South tower. Not only did he face the fires, smoke, and dust, but also had to deal with a fear of the unknown. Without knowing if the building was going to fall or not, he continued to help people down to safety. Welles also was very selfless and always put others needs above his own. He could have gotten down to safety but he chose to return back up to the burning floor and risk everything to save the lives of complete strangers. Welles Crowther is an inspiration to many because of his constant care for others. His personality is rare and is hard to come across. In an interview, Welles mother shared:  "We took great peace in knowing that Welles didn't suffer and that, up until the end, he was being very courageous, doing what he wanted to do. It brought a sense of peace that he was free to make his own choices that day. I am just so proud and gratified that Welles had the strength of character, the courage, the sense of duty to help others” (Mink 24). His parents were very pleased to know that he died with integrity and honor. Welles had a large influence on many people which shows when his mother states how proud she was of him for being courageous and acting with integrity. He was recognized and honored by many people including the President and his story has been spread all over the world which shows how big of an inspiration he was. Welles is proof that heroes aren’t just those with superpowers or capes. He acts in multiple heroic ways and shows that everyday people can also be heroes. He may not be alive, but his legacy will always carry on.

Works Cited

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