25 years on from 9/11: 'Man in the red bandana' symbolises courage and selflessness amid tragedy

Welles Crowther made three trips to the 78th floor of the South Tower on the day to save 18 people

A Boston College Eagles fan holds a red bandana to honour Boston College alumni Welles Crowther who lost his life after saving at least 18 people during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty

In the breast pocket of his blazer as we walk through the Museum of the City of New York, Christopher Gorman, the museum's vice president of communications and public affairs, carries a red handkerchief.

It is when we reach the museum's section on September 11 that he points out the garment and says that it is in honour of his childhood friend, Welles Crowther, who would become an enduring symbol of 9/11.

Having grown up on the same street, Christopher knew Welles as a young man "with a well of humanity", an older kid who would always include and help younger children, and look out for them. He was, by his nature, a helper.

Welles was a 24-year-old equities trader working on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center when the attacks began. A former Boston College lacrosse player and volunteer firefighter, Crowther had a strong interest in emergency services and had even dreamed of becoming a firefighter.

This article is part of Paul Hosford's special report on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 published by the 'Irish Examiner' in print and online on Friday and Saturday, September 11 & 12, 2026

At 9.03am, when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower, he was able to make a phone call to his mother, telling her that he was safe. Rather than simply attempting to escape, however, he began helping other people. He made his way toward the 78th-floor sky lobby, where survivors were trapped amid smoke, fire, debris and confusion.

Survivors would later describe a young man who appeared through the smoke wearing a red bandana over his nose and mouth. The bandana, which Welles had carried since childhood, helped him breathe through the smoke. More importantly, it became the only identifying feature many survivors remembered.

Survivors said he brought order to an otherwise chaotic situation as he directed people toward the stairway and helped injured survivors begin their descent. Accounts describe him carrying or supporting people who could not walk and leading groups down approximately 17 flights to safety. He then returned upward toward the sky lobby to help more people.

He made repeated journeys between the upper floors and the sky lobby. The 9/11 Memorial records that he made three trips to the 78th floor, helping as many people as he could before returning into the burning tower. Some accounts credit him with helping at least 18 people.

Welles ultimately did not escape the South Tower. He was last seen helping others before the building collapsed at 9.59am. His remains were recovered months later, in March 2002, near the lobby area.

For months, the people he had rescued knew him only as “the man in the red bandana”. His identity was finally established through survivor accounts reported in The New York Times in May 2002.

The red bandana has since become one of the enduring symbols of individual courage and selflessness on September 11.

• Paul Hosford, deputy political editor