Brian Sweeney, 9/11 Victim- Madeline Houser

Brian David Sweeney, 38, was a passenger on United Flight 175 when the plane struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Brian was an alum of Boston University where he played varsity football. After college Brian joined the Navy where he was an airman. He was a Veteran of Desert Storm. When Brian was on the plane after it was hijacked he tried to call his wife of 2 years, Julie. Brian's phone message was made public after the attacks and is well known for the things that he said. The voicemail that Brian left Julie said:

"Jules, it's Brian. Listen, I'm on an airplane that's been hijacked. If things don't go well, it's not looking good, I just want you to know I absolutely love you. I want you to do good... go have a good time, same to my parents and everybody. And I just totally love you and I'll see you when you get there... Bye babe, I'll try to call you."

Brian's message was chilling and sad. Brian was a passenger on the plane who tried to stop the terrorists from hijacking the plane. Since he was an airman himself he wanted to stop it. Brian will be remembered for his bravery and love for his life in the last moments of his life.

What surprised me the most about Brian's story is that even though he knew his death was very certain after realizing that the plane was hijacked he had optimism when leaving his wife the voicemail. Brian had started off by saying he'll see his wife when she gets "here" (meaning passes away herself) but ends the message with saying he will try to call her when everything is over. It was amazing to me that he started the message as a goodbye and ended it as a call-ya-later.

What I learned from Brian's story was that it is so important to keep your family close to you because you never know what might happen. Brian's words of wisdom to his wife were things that everyone should take into account. I loved when he said "I want you to do good..." I think that it showed how much he loved and cared for his wife. Brian's voicemail made me want to do good.