President Trump announced that Welles Crowther, a Boston College graduate who saved 18 people during the Sept. 11 attacks, will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Trump made the announcement last week at a campaign rally for US Representative Mike Lawler in Rockland County, N.Y., where Crowther was born.
“Boy, what bravery,” Trump said. “Saved those people and became a legend in a sense. Nobody else would have done what he did, so he is going to be getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Crowther graduated from Boston College in 1999 and was an equities trader in the South Tower of the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks, according to his Boston College biography.
On Sept. 11, after calling his mother, Crowther led a group of at least 18 people who were on the 78th floor to safety while wearing a red bandana over his mouth and nose, according to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
He went back inside the building to help more people. His body was discovered among debris of the South Tower on March 19, 2002.
“The man in the red bandana, a 24-year-old volunteer firefighter, equities trader, a wonderful guy, had a perfect life right here in Rockland County,” Trump said. “He was a legend and he’s become a legend who heroically gave his life on 9/11.”
Trump invited Crowther’s mother, Alison Crowther, who was present in the crowd, to speak.
“It’s such a beautiful thing that even 25 years later, Welles’ light still shines brightly,” Alison Crowther said. “When I travel and speak to children, they’re tremendously moved and inspired by this to be better people. ... It’s a beautiful thing.”
Alison Crowther also thanked Lawler, who introduced a bill to award Crowther a Congressional Gold Medal last September.
“The Boston College community is very pleased to hear that Welles Crowther will be honored posthumously with the Presidential Medal of Freedom,“ Jack Dunn, spokesperson for Boston College, said. “He, Allison, and the Crowther family are beloved at BC, and Welles’ heroic example of courage, selflessness, and sacrifice are virtues that we hope all of our students will aspire to emulate.”
Camille Bugayong can be reached at camille.bugayong@globe.com.