BOSTON (WHDH) - People in Massachusetts are honoring victims of the 9/11 terror attacks who were from the Bay State or had strong ties to Massachusetts with a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum on Saturday.
Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks during which 2,977 Americans lost their lives.
Gov. Baker and other officials read aloud the names of the 217 victims following a ceremonial flag-raising on the harborside plaza outside the JFK Library. The ceremony also included videos of Massachusetts residents telling the stories of their loved ones who died in the 9/11 attacks.
Also in attendance were Mayor Kim Janey and United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito awarded the 2021 Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for civilian bravery to a Gardner woman who risked her life to help save a drowning man at Dunn State Park earlier this year.
Annette Szivos heard cries for help coming from the body of water while at the park with her grandchildren on June 23. Szivos then spotted the source of the cries, a man struggling to stay afloat in the water, and his wife, who was unable to swim to shore.
The Madeline Amy Sweeney Award is named after a 14-year veteran American Airlines flight attendant who lived in Acton.
Sweeney was aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on Sept. 11, 2001, the first of two aircraft hijacked by terrorists and flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Before the plane hit the tower, Sweeney contacted the airline’s ground services crew to convey critical information about the hijackers and their actions on the plane that morning.
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