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BOSTON (AP) — A man who was fatally stabbed while trying to protect a waitress has been honored with a bravery award named for a flight attendant who was aboard one of the hijacked planes that was flown into the twin towers on Sept. 11.
The Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery was given posthumously to George Heath on Sunday, the 15th anniversary of 9/11.
Heath was a visual arts teacher at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical School in Massachusetts. He was dining with his wife at a Taunton mall in May when a knife-wielding man began stabbing a pregnant waitress. The waitress survived.
Sweeney was credited with contacting authorities and providing the first key information about the hijackers.
The Sweeney Award has been given to a Massachusetts resident since 2001.
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