Who was Brian David Sweeney? Kendall Jenner shares voicemail from United Flight 175 passenger on 22nd anniversary of 9/11 attacks
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kendall Jenner reposted a voicemail left by Brian Sweeney, a former Navy pilot and passenger on United Flight 175, as she commemorated the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Joining in on this tribute, Kourtney Kardashian, 44, also shared the same post on Instagram.
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9/11 attacks
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, often referred to as 9/11, were a series of coordinated suicide terrorist acts by the extremist group Al-Qaeda against the US.
On that tragic day, 19 hijackers commandeered four commercial airliners, crashing two into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, causing their collapse.
Another plane struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, while the fourth, United Flight 93, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers bravely intervened.
The 9/11 attacks resulted in the loss of nearly 3,000 lives, making it one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in history.
This event profoundly impacted not only the US but the entire world, leading to a global war on terror and significant changes in international security measures.
Brian Sweeney left a heartfelt voicemail message for his wife during 9/11 attacks
Brian David Sweeney was a passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 175, one of the planes hijacked during the 9/11 attacks.
He left a heartfelt voicemail message for his wife, Julie, just moments before the plane crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
What did Brian Sweeney's voicemail say?
Sweeney said on the voicemail, "Jules, this is Brian listen, I’m on an airplane that’s been hijacked. If things don’t go well, and it’s not looking good, I just want you to know I absolutely love you."
He added, "I want you to do good, go have good times, same to my parents and everybody, and I just totally love you. And I’ll see you when you get there. Bye, babe. I hope I call you."
Sweeney's voicemail, a final message of comfort, became widely known and touched the hearts of many.
Brian Sweeney served during the first Gulf War
Julie later revealed that her husband had been a Navy pilot who had previously served during the first Gulf War, per Metro.
Julie said, "You hold out this hope, especially for someone like Brian who, this is a silly way to put it, but he was a warrior. And you just didn’t believe that something like this could take him away."
She continued, "So you hold out this hope until it’s validated somehow. And all I needed was that message. And I think he very selflessly left it."
She further said, "I don’t think he left it until he knew that he wasn’t coming home. When I got it, it was just so Brian and it was his final request of me. And his final way to let me know that… he was gonna be ok."
She added, "And that he believed that he’d see me again. And that’s all I needed to know. I’m thankful for it. So thankful for that message because at least I know without a shadow of a doubt what he was thinking."
She recalled, "The calmness in his voice soothed me. So I do have that. And because it’s on a message I’m able to share it with anybody that wants to hear it. And it’s very powerful."
"He made very powerful statements with that message," she concluded.
Melissa Doi's heartbreaking call to a 911 operator during 9/11 attacks
Another victim of the 9/11 tragedy was Melissa Doi. She was a 32-year-old financial executive who worked on the 83rd floor of the World Trade Center's South Tower.
She died during the attacks when the tower was struck by one of the hijacked planes.
Doi's heartbreaking 911 call from the South Tower, where she provided critical information about the situation inside the building and her own condition, remains a haunting part of the historical record of that day.
Doi told the 911 operator, "There’s no one here yet, and the floor’s completely engulfed. We’re on the floor and we can’t breathe. And it’s very, very, very hot."
The operator made every effort to keep Doi calm. They assured her that emergency services were en route and doing their best to reach them in the midst of the unfolding emergency.
They said, "Ma’am listen, everybody’s coming, everybody knows, everybody knows what happened, okay… they have to take time to come up there, you know that. You got to be very careful."
She responded, "Everybody’s having trouble breathing, some people are worse… than others."
As the tower burned around them, she asked the operator, "Can you stay on the line with me, please? I feel like I’m dying."
Towards the end of the call, Doi asked the operator to connect her with her mother for a last conversation, but the operator regretfully explained that they did not have the capability for a three-way call.
"Tell her I love her, and... I love her, and she was the best mother...a person could ever have," Doi conveyed before dying.