A Lesson from 9/11 We Must Never Forget

Dr. Peter Folan | Published in the Boston Herald | September 11, 2026

 

For those of us old enough to remember September 11, 2001, we remember where we were, what we were doing, and the moment an ordinary morning became something else entirely.

I was making copies for my English class when the music playing on the faculty room radio was interrupted. I remember standing with my colleagues at a hastily called faculty meeting. We agreed that students needed the reassuring rhythm of school and the steady presence of adults.

It was not easy to stand before a classroom of middle school students and try to help them process something none of us yet understood. I remember the astonishingly clear blue sky and coaching football that afternoon as F-15s circled overhead.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day. Families were shattered. First responders entered buildings from which they would never return. Many heroes acted courageously that morning and inspired thousands of others.

In the days following the attacks, Americans moved toward one another. People lined up to donate blood. Strangers offered food, shelter, transportation, and comfort. Flags appeared on homes and highway overpasses. We grieved together, but we also cared for one another.

That unity was real. We took pride in our country, its ideals and lifted people up. Ordinary people answered the call.

Years later, I became captivated by the story of Welles Remy Crowther, the Man in the Red Bandanna. Welles was a 24-year-old Boston College graduate, volunteer firefighter, and equities trader working in South Tower.

As smoke and fire filled the building, he covered his face with a red bandanna and began leading people toward safety. The survivors did not know his name. They remembered only the man wearing a red bandanna. Months later, when Welles’s mother read their accounts, she recognized her son. The red bandanna had been a gift from Welles’s father when he was a boy. Over time, it became part of his identity.

After September 11, it became a symbol of courage, sacrifice, and love for strangers. For his courageous actions, Welles will be posthumously awarded our nation's highest civilian honor, Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Welles’s story teaches us that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. His final actions grew from habits formed throughout his life: caring for others, accepting responsibility, serving his community, supporting his teammates, and doing what was right. Character is built long before it is tested.

Twenty-five years later, it is our responsibility not only to teach what happened that day, but also to give that memory purpose. My whole school will learn about Welles and reflect on the heroes in their own lives. This year, every student will write the name of a hero on a red bandanna and tie it to a fence on our campus, creating a visible reminder of the people whose courage and sacrifice inspire us. We will also welcome Alison Crowther to speak with our community about her son and the lessons his life continues to teach about courage, leadership, and service.

Most of us will never confront a moment like the one Welles faced. But every day offers smaller opportunities to move toward someone who needs us: to include the person standing alone, to speak when something is wrong, to help without being asked, and to place another person’s needs before our own.

While September 11, 2001 showed us what hatred could destroy, Welles Crowther and thousands of other helpers showed us what courage, compassion, and love could build.

Twenty-five years later, that is the lesson we must never forget.