BOSTON (WHDH) - The Madeline “Amy” Sweeney Award for civilian bravery was awarded Friday morning at the State House after a moment of silence, and the names of victims of the 9/11 attacks with Massachusetts ties were read.
Sweeney, an Acton native and flight attendant on Flight 11, provided critical information to Logan Airport about the hijackers before losing her life.
Governor Maura Healey presented the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery to T.J. Swenson.
“What we saw that day was the American spirit at its finest,” Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said. “T.J., a former Marine, relying on his training, but in his civilian role. Stepping up.”
Swenson helped authorities stop a gunman who opened fire on Memorial Drive in Cambridge back in May.
Healey commended Swenson for recognizing the danger and putting the safety of others above his own.
The award was presented to Swenson by Sweeney’s daughter Anna, who spoke about her mother.
“My mother was a woman who in her final moments chose courage over fear, and grace over panic,” Anna said. “As my daughters grow older, they will know who their grandmother was. Not just how she died, but how she lived. With bravery, compassion, and unwavering resolve.”
Rachael Lemire Saveriano nominated Swenson for the award.
“Out of nowhere, T.J. appeared at my car door,” Saveriano said. “And he looked at me, and he said, ‘Run!’ And he seemed so calm. He seemed like he was there to save us.”
Saveriano was stuck in her car. She didn’t know whether she should get out and run or stay put. She was in a life-or-death situation.
“People would have died, people would have been killed, people would have been shot were it not for the bravery of T.J. and the trooper, and then others came on the scene,” Healey said.
In a written statement, Swenson said he’s honored to win an award named for Amy Sweeney.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Sweeney family,” it read. “Madeline Amy Sweeney was a true American hero. On the most devastating day in our nation’s modern history, she chose courage over fear and, in doing so, gave others a chance to survive.”
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