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Welles Crowther

by Brooke Ellis from San Diego, California in United States

Welles Crowther spent some of the darkest hours in American history saving the lives of strangers

There were 2,996 deaths and 6,000 injured on September 11, 2001. And without the help of Welles Remy Crowther, there would have been over 3,000. But instead of saving himself and leaving 18 people to die, he risked his life to save them and is known around the world as the man in the red bandanna. Crowther was born in Upper Nyack, New York and was passionate about becoming a firefighter. Ever since he was a young boy he loved helping people. He was even voted most willing to help his teammates get their first goals in ice hockey (Rinaldi “The Red”). He is known more commonly as a 24-year-old equities trader who died saving others during the attack on 9/11. During the tragic event, he was wearing the red bandanna that his father gave him when he was 8. The bandanna helped cover his mouth from the debris, so he could save more people and withstand the smoke. To be a hero one must embody bravery by being courageous, and must think about others needs rather than their self wants, which is what Crowther did. Helping save strangers lives during 9/11 with his bravery and selflessness made Welles Crowther a true hero.

133697https://commons.wikimedia.orgUA_Flight_175_hits_WTC_south_tower_9-11.jpeg: Flickr user TheMachineStops (Robert J. Fisch)derivative work: upstateNYer [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]Welles Crowther was able to save the lives of others because of his bravery. When the plane crashed into the tower many people were scurrying through the building trying to find a way down. Crowther was not only finding a way down for himself but finding it for those around him. “Amid the smoke, chaos and debris, Crowther helped injured and disoriented office workers to safety, risking his own life in the process”(Kleeman). Bravery is defined as courageous behavior or character, this describes Crowther as he continually put himself in harm's way to save more and more people. When he found the only possible exit, to escape the building safely, Welles Crowther is showing courageous behavior which makes him a hero. Just before making it to the exit with the first troop of people Crowther stopped, “At the 61st floor, he urged Young and the woman he was carrying to continue downward. But he was not going with them....‘I’m going back up,’ was all he said.”(Rinaldi “9/11”). Welles Crowther displayed his act of bravery by going back up to find more injured people, instead of running from the incident. This exemplifies courage and bravery because he made a decision to risk his life for strangers. During the attack on 9/11, Welles Crowther was showing his bravery for going back up the tower to save others lives, instead of ending his heroism early by leaving the tower with the first group.

Welles Crowther put others needs before his own, with his selfless act of saving others. Welles Crowther was known for his kind act on 9/11 but what most people do not know is he was helping others way before the terrorist attack. “He became known to the younger players as the veteran most willing to help them get their first goals for the Indians” (Rinaldi “The Red”). While Crowther excelled at sports he also knew what it meant to be apart of a team, as he encouraged and helped others also be successful. This shows what type of man Crowther was because of his acts to encourage and assist his teammates, for them to excel in the sport. It takes a brave man to save others in a stressful situation but, “He led those survivors down the stairs to safety and carried a woman on his shoulders down 17 flights, and then he went back."(Kleeman). Many people are not strong enough to carry a full-grown woman on their back in a stressful situation, but Crowther managed, he helped the woman out by giving her a chance at survival and he was not worried about his own life, this shows he is a selfless person that wants to do the right thing even when nobody's watching. Not only did he help that woman get to safety, but after she made it to the bottom he went back up to find more people to save. This shows he is willing to save others who need it, and risk his own life in the process. Most people would not risk their own lives for others in a situation like Crowther's, but he risked his own life without a doubt and saved the lives of many people which makes him a hero to this day. The people Welles Crowther saved are forever touched by the kind, and genuine act he did.

133696https://commons.wikimedia.orgEmily Knudten [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]Welles Crowther shows his bravery and selfless acts through helping save the lives of others during 9/11. Without a doubt, he risked his life to help others survive, during the attack on the Twin Towers. After saving multiple people he continuously went back up to save more strangers that were in need of his help. This shows Crowther is a true hero for being selfless and brave. In the article “he Died Saving Lives” by KC Baker she heard that “One boy recently told [her] that Welles and the bandanna are symbols of the kind of man he’d like to be.”(Baker) If Crowther can inspire many people to believe that his actions are worth following than many others will continue to do kind actions that will help change the world. Welles Crowther has inspired me to believe that risking your life to save others is an act that many people will not think about when it comes to difficult situations. Crowther decided to think about what happened that moment, and saved those people. We make many decisions every day without even thinking what the consequences are, and if Crowther did not make that decision to help them, there would have been many more deaths that would have stuck with him his whole life. So for someone to risk their life is something to be inspired by. Heroes are someone who can be trusted and are people that are looked up to, so for Welles Crowther inspiring many people around the world, he has shown he can be a true hero. Crowther's acts of selflessness and helping others has inspired me to become a better person and help others if needed. He made me realize what a true leader is and he has inspired me to be someone people look up to.

Works Cited

Kilgannon, Corey. "'Red Bandana' Recounts A Story of 9/11 Heroism." New York Times, 9 Sept. 2017, p. A20(L). Opposing Viewpoints in Context,             https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A503857158/GPS?u=powa9245&sid=GPS&xid=038e11dc. Accessed 29 Apr. 2019.

Kleeman, Sophie. “How 'The Man in the Red Bandana' Sacrificed His Life for a Dozen Others on 9/11.” Mic, Mic Network Inc., 26 Oct. 2015,                     mic.com/articles/98642/how-the-man-in-the-red-bandana-saved-a-dozen-lives-on-9-11#.fidcvrAOU.

Rinaldi, Tom. “9/11 Survivors: We Were Saved by the Man with the Red Bandanna.” New York Post, New York Post, 29 Aug. 2016,                                  nypost.com/2016/08/28/911-survivors-we-were-saved-by-the-man-with-the-red-bandanna/.

Rinaldi, Tom. The Red Bandanna: Young Readers' Edition. Viking, an Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2017.

Baker, KC. “ 'He Died Saving Lives, I Weep for Him Every Day' - Father Honors Son's Heroism on 9/11 as PEOPLE Launches 'The Red Bandanna               Hero Award'.” PEOPLE.com, Meredith Corporation , 26 Apr. 2017, 11:19 AM, people.com/human-interest/father-honors-sons-heroism-911-people-       red-bandanna-hero-award/.

Page created on 5/13/2019 8:06:56 PM

Last edited 5/18/2019 1:29:21 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

The Red Bandanna Book - a book about Welles Remy Crowthers life.
Welles Crowther Article - a article about Crowthers act of kindness on 9/11