Nationality American Other names Amy Sweeney | Name Madeline Sweeney | |
 | ||
Spouse(s) Michael Sweeney (?-2001; her death) Died September 11, 2001, New York City, New York, United States Children Anna Sweeney, Jack Sweeney Similar Carole Middleton, Betty Ong, Ron Akana | ||
Madeline amy sweeney heroism award
Madeline Amy Sweeney (December 14, 1965 – September 11, 2001), known as Amy Sweeney, was an American flight attendant killed on board American Airlines Flight 11 when it was hijacked by 5 terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda and flown deliberately into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, as part of the September 11 attacks.
Contents
Life of young hero honored on 9/11
Flight 11
On September 11, 2001, Sweeney was asked by American Airlines to take an extra shift because the other crew member, who was assigned to the position, was ill. Normally, she would only work part-time on weekends.
On September 11, at approximately 7:15 am, before the plane had taken off, Sweeney made a cellular telephone call to her husband Michael, from the plane (which he deemed to be 'highly unusual'). She was feeling low about being at work and missing out on a chance to see their daughter, a kindergartner, off to school. At 8:46 am, Sweeney was on the phone with manager Michael Woodward when the plane crashed into the North Tower. Her last words are reproduced in the box below.
Sweeney was aged 35 when she was killed. She had been a flight attendant for twelve years. She was survived by her husband Michael and two children, Jack and Anna. They live in Acton, Massachusetts.
Legacy
On February 11, 2002, Sweeney was commemorated in a series of new annual bravery awards initiated by the Government of Massachusetts. The annual Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery is awarded every September 11 to at least one Massachusetts resident who displayed extraordinary courage in defending or saving the lives of others.
The first recipients were Sweeney and her colleague Betty Ong, who had also relayed information about the hijacking to personnel on the ground. Pilot John Ogonowski also received a posthumous award for being thought to have turned the cockpit radio switch on, which allowed ground control to listen to remarks being made by the hijackers. They were all residents of Massachusetts. Relatives of all three accepted the awards on their behalf.
At the National 9/11 Memorial, Sweeney is memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-74.