September 11, 2006 CONTACT:

HEALEY PRESENTS AMY SWEENEY AWARDS FOR BRAVERY

Marks fifth anniversary of 9/11 with a tribute to local civilian heroes

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey today marked the fifth anniversary of September 11, 2001 by recognizing the heroism of four Massachusetts individuals who committed an extraordinary act of courage and selflessness last year.

The Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery was created in 2002 in honor of Amy Sweeney, an American Airlines flight attendant who died on September 11, 2001 in the first plane to hit the World Trade Center in New York City. Before the plane hit the building, Sweeney contacted the airline’s ground services crew to convey critical information about the five hijackers and their fatal actions on the plane that morning.

“Like many other heroes on September 11, 2001, Amy Sweeney found herself in the middle of unspeakable horror and responded not with panic or fear but with determination to save the lives of others,” said Healey. “Through their determination and tenacity, the four heroes we honor today have shown they are cut from the same cloth as Amy Sweeney.”

Healey was joined by Michael Sweeney, Amy’s widower, and their children, Jack and Anna, to present this year’s awards to Henry Garvey, Jerry Morkeski, Greg Deighan, and Adam Speed for the actions that saved two lives on Saturday August 20, 2005 in Newburyport.

“We are still so proud of what Amy was able to do on that terrible day and it is some consolation that she was able to help others during her last moments,” said Michael Sweeney. “Like Amy, the four heroes we honor today only thought how they could offer assistance during a desperate time – they are most worthy of this award.”

The recipients of this year’s Amy Sweeney Award risked their own lives after hearing a loud explosion at a neighbor’s home on Plum Island. They emerged from their own homes to find a nearby house on fire. Without hesitation, they entered the smoke-filled home twice without knowing whether another explosion would take place.

Garvey and Morkeski arrived first on the scene and could hear screams for help from inside the house. An explosion had blown the home’s front door a distance of 50 feet and a side wall was separated six feet from the main structure. Upon entering the house, the men saw that the interior walls were burned beyond recognition. Nonetheless, they proceeded inside and saw a contractor who had been working on the house, Tim Wentworth, sticking out of a small basement access hole. They pulled him outside to safety, although he was very badly burned.

Wentworth informed his rescuers that there was another man, his son Zeke, in the house. Together, the four men used flashlights to find Zeke lying on the floor gasping for breath. They used a ladder to lift him out of the hole and outside to safety. Like his father, he was badly burned and in severe pain. Fire and ambulance workers were quickly on scene and treated the Wentworths for trauma. Garvey and Morkeski were taken to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

Tragically, Tim Wentworth succumbed to his injuries two weeks after the fire. Zeke Wentworth survived and has had over 16 surgeries to reconstruct parts of his body.

“We are flattered and humbled to be honored with the Amy Sweeney Award,” said Greg Deighan. “It was a team effort with many people, more than just the four of us, pulling together, just like people did in the planes and on the ground on 9/11. The tragedy has drawn the entire community of Plum Island together in a way that we never thought possible.”

Fire investigators would later explain that the explosion was caused while the Wentworths were spraying a flammable waterproofing material to the cistern walls. The gases filled the underground room, crept to the ground floor and ignited a pilot light on a hot water heater. Temperatures from the ensuing fire likely reached nearly 1000 degrees and released much toxic smoke.

Garvey, Morkeski, Deighan and Speed did not expect to be called upon to help save an unknown person’s life that day. But each one put their own life at risk without a second thought. Zeke Wentworth would not be alive today were it not for their exceptional efforts.

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