That others may live

By Jeff Becraft

Last week was the anniversary of 9/11.

My wife, Brenda, and I have lately been watching some documentaries on that fateful day. Even now, years later, it just seems so surreal. I think for most of us, we can remember exactly where we were when all that began to unfold. I remember I was still at home. I got a call from Brenda and she said to turn the TV on… a plane had flown into the World Trade Center.

What made this even closer to home was that our brother-in-law worked at the World Trade Center. As it turned out that day in 2001, he was on the train heading into New York City when the first plane struck. They stopped the train and Bill never made it into the city that day.

One of the documentaries we’ve come across is the Man In The Red Bandana.

It’s about a guy named Welles… Welles Crawther.

He always carried a red bandana and he wore it that day. He helped to usher people to safety, getting them to stairwell A.

In the process, Welles lost his life.

He had made three different trips to escort people out and he was then down in the lobby of the South Tower talking to some of the fireman leaders and he was getting ready to go back up with them to rescue others… when the South Tower collapsed.

And that was the end of Welles’ life, along with many others. But it is not the end of the impact of his life. I had never heard the story, and it is a riveting story, particularly to hear it from his parents’ perspective. It is worth watching.

Welles was one of many heroes that day. He gave his life so that others might live.

And as his father quoted in describing Welles, “No greater love has one, than to lay down his life for his fellow man.”