Carlos Arredondo Receives Madeline Amy Sweeney Award For Civilian Bravery
Photo via Flickr.com/ajwphoto56
The man who helped save a victim of the Boston Marathon attack was honored for his bravery on Wednesday during a ceremony at the State House recognizing the victims of 9/11.
Carlos Arredondo, the “man in the cowboy hat” who is credited with helping rescue Jeff Bauman on Boylston Street, was awarded the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery, a state-recognized award named after a woman who was on one of the planes hijacked by the terrorists after it left Logan Airport in 2001. According to state officials, the award is bestowed upon someone who has “[demonstrated] exceptional bravery, without regard for personal safety, in an effort to save the life or lives of another or others in actual imminent danger.”
Sweeney was an American Airlines flight attendant from Acton, working on American Airlines Flight 11, the first airplane hijacked by the terrorists. “Before the plane hit the tower, Amy Sweeney had the courage and bravery to contact the airline’s ground services crew to convey critical information about the five hijackers and their fatal actions on the plane that morning,” according to the state’s website.
Arredondo accepted the award during a ceremony on Beacon Hill organized to reflect on the 12th anniversary.
Arredondo gained national attention due to a photo taken of him running alongside Bauman, who lost both legs in the Marathon attack, as he was pushed away from the devastation in a wheelchair. Arredondo recently got recognition for his heroic deed from car mogul Herb Chambers in the form of a new truck. He also got to wave a flag at a Bruins game during the hockey season, and threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game alongside Bauman.
Arredondo recently told Boston that attending ceremonies, and speaking out against violence, are important to him.
The father of Boston Marathon bombing victim Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy from Dorchester killed on April 15, was also at the ceremony. Richard’s father, Bill, thanked the state’s 9/11 memorial fund for sharing the day of remembrance with his family, according to CBS Boston.
September 11 observances were held Wednesday morning at the 9/11 Memorial at the Public Garden, where officials put wreaths down in a show of support for those lost in the attack 12 years ago. The names of more than 200 people from Massachusetts were also read at the State House, where family members of the victims gathered with state leaders.
