Sept. 11 remembrance at the State House

Rep. Kate Hogan joined Lt Governor Kim Driscoll at Massachusetts’ September 11 commemoration at the State House. Family and friends of those lost on 9/11 gathered to pay tribute during day-long ceremonies at Ashburton Park, the House Chamber, and the Garden of Remembrance.

A solemn remembrance was held in the House Chamber for the tragic losses suffered on that day. As each anniversary of this devastating event arises, we remember again the feelings from that day and resolve anew to honor legacies and reaffirm ideals.

This year, we especially remembered the “Children of 9/11.”

Several “children of 9/11” spoke, including Anna Sweeney, whose mother Amy was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11. Anna was in kindergarten in 2001 and she shared with us the story of her mother’s brave efforts to phone from the plane and report important details about the hijackers.

A video of all of the day’s ceremonies is available at https://vimeo.com/863600963. Additional video and photos can be found at https://massfund.org/annual-commemoration-2023/

Pat Hoban provided introductory remarks. Pat is the vice chair of The 2023 Commemoration Family Advisory Committee, was a school nurse and making calls to confirm that family members of two students were safe when she got an unexpected call. Her brother was on the plane that hit the South Tower. With the help of her two sisters, she told her 89-year-old mother that John was gone. “We all cried together,” she recalled.

The 2023 Madeline ”Amy” Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery was awarded to 4 Berlin residents who saved their neighbor by digging through flaming remnants of a propane explosion: Johnathan Golas, Brian Clemmer, Dylan Clemmer, and Robert Wheeler — who dug through the debris of a house to save someone’s life after a gas explosion on April 14.

Children of 9/11 – Mara Alvarado. Mara Alvarado was barely 3 years old when her aunt, Susan, was killed in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. “At 3 years old, I couldn’t really understand what was going on. I didn’t know why mom was so sad, why there were so many people at our house. I didn’t understand the struggle my parents were dealing with, not only coping with the loss of Susie, but also the difficulty of how they were going to tell me one of my favorite people wasn’t going to ever come back,” Alvarado said during the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award Ceremony in the House Chamber.

The 2023 Madeline ”Amy” Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery presented by Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll and Anna Sweeney

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