Just three minutes before united airlines flight 175 crashed into the world trade center on 9/11, passenger brian sweeney left a final message for his wife julie.
julie sweeney missed the phone call. But the final voicemail left by her husband, Brian Sweeney, has endured for 20 years. Moments before her death on September 11, Brian Sweeney recorded a powerful message.
who was brian sweeney?
Born August 10, 1963, Brian David Sweeney grew up in Massachusetts. His widow, Julie Sweeney Roth, remembers him as a warm and trusting man.
“he was like tom cruise but with a goose personality: he had the confidence of tom cruise but he had this personality that he just wanted to hug him and love him,” julie said. “He was that kind of person.”
a former american marine pilot brian had once worked as a topgun instructor in miramar, california. But in 1997, Brian accepted a medical discharge from the Navy after an accident left him partially paralyzed.
The following year, he met his wife, Julie, at a Philadelphia bar. Julie remembers that the 6’3″ Brian Sweeney immediately caught her eye. “I looked at my girlfriend and told her that’s the kind of man I would marry,” she said julie.
After a whirlwind courtship, Julie moved in with Brian in Massachusetts. They were married on Cape Cod, a place Brian had loved for a long time.
Together, they began to build a life. In February 2001, Julie was working as a teacher and Brian had gotten a job as a defense contractor. for a week each month, she flew to Los Angeles for work.
and that’s exactly what he planned to do on september 11, 2001. brian said goodbye to julie and boarded united airlines flight 175 from boston to los angeles. but, tragically, he would never get there.
voicemail from brian sweeney on september 11th
after saying goodbye to her husband on 9/11, julie sweeney went to work normally. but something had begun to unfold in the sky that would change her life, and the course of American history, forever.
after united airlines flight 175 took off at 8:14 a.m. m., the plane made a sudden and unscheduled turn at 8:47 a.m. 11, and failed to notice that the transponder code on united airlines flight 175 had strangely changed several times.
At the time, no one on the ground knew that both planes had been hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists. and no one knew that they would soon crash into the twin towers of the world trade center in new york city.
but while confusion reigned on the ground, the situation had become terrifyingly clear to many of the passengers in the air. On United Airlines Flight 175, Brian Sweeney soon realized that he would not survive. so he called his wife one last time, using a phone in the back of the plane.
“jules, this is brian. Listen, I’m on a plane that’s been hijacked. If things aren’t going well and it’s not looking good, I just want you to know that I absolutely love you. I want you to do well, have fun. same to my parents and everyone, and i totally love you, and i’ll see you when you get there. bye bye baby I hope to call you.”
julie sweeney was teaching a class at the time and missed the call. her mother-in-law soon contacted her to tell her that brian was on one of the hijacked planes. but she julie didn’t get the message from her until she got home.
by that time, brian sweeney and nearly 3,000 others had died in the 9/11 attacks. Julie and many other Americans were devastated.
why did julie sweeney post her husband’s 9/11 voicemail?
In 2002, Julie Sweeney decided to share Brian Sweeney’s final message with the public in an effort to help other grieving families.
“There are still times when I cry and listen to your message,” he said. “It’s still a part of me and I probably still have a lot of healing to do.”
but she believed her last words were powerful and could bring comfort to others who lost loved ones on united airlines flight 175.
“I am grateful for that. very grateful for that message,” she said years later. “Because at least I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what he was thinking. the calm in her voice reassured me…and it’s very powerful. she made very powerful statements with that message.”
Since brian’s tragic death, julie sweeney roth has taken his latest message to heart. she is living a good life. Julie has since remarried and has two children. she volunteers at the 9/11 memorial & museum, where she connects with survivors and works to keep brian’s memory alive.
“all he needed was that message and i think he selflessly left it,” julie said. “I don’t think she left him until he knew he wasn’t coming home.”
after reading about brian sweeney’s final voicemail, take a look at these harrowing artifacts from 9/11. Next, learn about the death of Henryk Siwiak, the only unsolved 9/11 murder in New York City.