The 'Man in the Red Bandana' finally honored for his sacrifice. 25 years after Welles Crowther gave his life saving others on 9/11, the 'Man in the Red Bandana' is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Crowther was just 24 when he repeatedly went back into the South Tower, helping as many as 18 people escape. Survivors remembered one unmistakable detail about the stranger who helped save their lives: the red bandana covering his face. Crowther never made it out, but the people he helped did. Now his mother and sister accept the nation’s highest civilian honor on his behalf, cementing a legacy born from the extraordinary choice to keep going back for others.