9/11 Hero Welles Crowther: Firehouse President Reveals What Shaped the ‘Man in the Red Bandana’

During a Tuesday ceremony, President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, honoring the courage he showed during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In accepting the recognition, Crowther’s mother, Alison, pointed to the Upper Nyack, New York, volunteer firehouse where her son first learned the skills that would help save lives.

“Welles… would not have been able to do what he did as effectively on 9/11 if it had not been for the training and experience he gained as a member of Empire Hook and Ladder Company Number One of Upper Nyack,” she said.

David “Trevor” Gottlieb, president of Empire Hook and Ladder Company Number One, told News Outlet that Crowther was shaped by the firehouse’s deep-rooted culture of service, duty and sacrifice.

“I joined in ’88, he was five years younger than me so probably ’93 is when he first started,” Gottlieb told News Outlet.

“I was still away in college. I came back and worked with him from ’93 on. Volunteer fire service is usually multi-generational, and Welles’ father, Jefferson, was an ex-captain. He was our treasurer, just, you know, part of the fabric of the company. Kid’s been coming down here since he could walk,” Gottlieb said.

In the 25 years since Sept. 11, Crowther’s name has become inseparable from the story of the “man in the red bandana.” A stockbroker working in the South Tower that morning, Crowther was known for carrying a red bandana with him. After the attack, he moved toward danger, guiding people through smoke and chaos as the building burned.

“Welles Crowther was in the towers. He was working for a trading firm that day. And he assisted with the rescue of at least 18, I think was the final count they got. Eighteen civilians that he helped lead to safety and ultimately lost his life doing that,” Gottlieb said.

“I think what Welles’ impression he left upon us was anything’s possible. And when you’re faced with, you know, 108 floors and the chaos and the destruction all around you, when you sit back and rely on your training, on how you were brought up, I think that makes your job much easier,” he continued.

Gottlieb credited Crowther’s instinct to help people without hesitation to his upbringing at Empire Hook and Ladder.

“This fire company is stocked with great people. We have five generations, some of the families go back in this company. And it’s great to see the pride, the dedication, commitment to a community that exists when you have such a special place like this,” he said.

“I would lay my life down for any one of them. And I think they would do the same for me,” Gottlieb said of his firehouse family. “That’s something that’s kind of instilled in when you join here. And it’s perfected throughout years and multi-generations of that behavior,” he continued.

Crowther’s ultimate sacrifice was indicative not only of his upbringing in Empire Hook and Ladder, but of the spirit that inhabits all volunteer firefighters, Gottlieb argued.

“When you look at what happened that day, somebody made the decision to not run. They made the decision to stay and help. And they didn’t ask if you’re a Republican, a Democrat, a Muslim, a Jew, a Catholic,” he told News Outlet.

“You’re somebody who needs help. And the human spirit needs to continue that way. We have to focus on what brings us together, not what divides us,” Gottlieb said. “And I think that’s been kind of the driving force in the firehouse. For us to get more volunteers, we can’t be a polarizing organization. We can’t have sides. Our position is we’re here to help the community.”

“We are here to step up in the times that probably matter most and be part of something much bigger than ourselves,” he added. “And when you learn to set that aside and you learn to live with those kinds of principles, I think it makes this job much easier because you know that – know – the guy next to you, the girl next to has your back and I have their back.”

Gottlieb also pointed to two of Empire’s other fallen firefighters, Harry Wannamaker Jr. and Joe Stach Jr., who he said both lost their lives due to health complications related to 9/11.

“We should never forget. We should never forget the sacrifice that everybody made, in particular Welles. But there was 343 other firemen that died. And then, since that time, we’ve lost two more members in Empire related to 9/11 diseases, Harry Wanamaker Jr. and Joe Stach Jr. And it’s awful to see the scars that it leaves on families forever,” he said.

Gottlieb also urged people to follow in Crowther’s footsteps and volunteer for their local fire departments.

“Volunteer fire service is hurting for people right now. Everybody’s too busy to volunteer and I can’t describe to you the feeling, right? You get to drive fire trucks, you get to play with some pretty cool tools. I encourage everyone to do this, make time, help any way you can because your community will be better for it,” he said.