Brian Sweeney’s Final Voicemail: The Love Story Preserved From United Flight 175
Among the thousands of records preserved from September 11, 2001, one short voicemail continues to affect listeners more than two decades later.
“Jules, this is Brian,” the message begins.
Brian David Sweeney was aboard United Airlines Flight 175 after hijackers seized control of the aircraft. Realizing that he might never see his wife again, he used an onboard telephone to call home.
Julie Sweeney did not answer. Brian reached the answering machine instead.
He did not describe the attackers in detail. He did not express hatred, issue political demands or ask anyone to avenge him. His final recorded message was directed almost entirely toward love, reassurance and the life he wanted his wife to continue living.
The words printed on a widely shared social media graphic are authentic. They closely reproduce a recording preserved by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
The image is not inventing a sentimental story around an unidentified victim. Brian existed, the voicemail exists, and his wife has spoken publicly about hearing it.
Its power lies precisely in the fact that he was not speaking for history. He was one person trying to reach the woman he loved during the final minutes of his life.
Who Was Brian David Sweeney?
Brian Sweeney was 38 years old in September 2001. He had served as a pilot and instructor in the United States Navy and was living in Massachusetts with his wife, Julie.
Friends and family remembered him as energetic, sociable and adventurous. Aviation had played a major role in his life, making the circumstances of his death especially painful.
Brian and Julie had been married for only a few years. Like any couple, they had daily routines, personal jokes, disagreements and plans for a future they expected to share.
On September 11, Brian boarded United Airlines Flight 175 at Boston’s Logan International Airport. The Boeing 767 was scheduled to fly from Boston to Los Angeles.
There were 65 people aboard: passengers, crew members and five hijackers.
Shortly after departure, the hijackers took control. The aircraft was turned away from its intended westward route and directed toward New York City.
Brian understood enough about aviation to recognize the seriousness of what was happening. At approximately 8:59 a.m., he attempted to call Julie.
The Message
The recording preserved by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum begins with the answering machine announcing a new message.
Brian then says:
“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 asks Julie to “do good” and “go have good times.” He extends the same love to his parents and everyone else close to him.
He tells her that he will see her “when you get there,” says goodbye and ends with the fragile hope that he might be able to call again.
The graphic reproduces these words with only insignificant punctuation and wording differences. Its description of the recording as Brian Sweeney’s final words to his wife from Flight 175 is accurate.
The voicemail lasts less than a minute. Yet it communicates several things simultaneously: Brian understood the danger, accepted that he might die and wanted Julie to know that their relationship had been the defining truth of his final thoughts.
Why Julie Did Not Answer
Julie was at work when Brian called their home.
This fact has haunted many people who encounter the story, but it should not be interpreted as a failure or a missed choice. In 2001, people did not live with smartphones constantly in their hands as they do today. Calling a home telephone and reaching an answering machine was completely ordinary.