Sarah Sweeney, the executive director of Swampscott’s Military Friends Foundation, was recognized on Thursday at the State House as a 2026 honoree during the Commonwealth’s annual Iwo Jima Remembrance Day ceremony.
The ceremony, themed “Uncommon Valor Was a Common Virtue,” honored the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Sweeney received the Gung Ho Community Service Award, previously presented to veterans and community leaders including Robert Kraft, the Wahlberg family and Marine Corps League member David Berry Sr.
In addition to Sweeney, a small group of 2026 honorees included State Rep. Joe McGonagle (D-Everett) as well as United States Marine Corps Officer David Porter.
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major World War II conflict in which U.S. Marine Corps and Navy forces captured the island from the Imperial Japanese Army. Marine and Navy troops battled Japanese forces entrenched in an extensive network of underground tunnels and caves. Located about 700 miles from Tokyo, the island was strategically targeted to provide airfields for bombing raids on Japan.
The 36-day battle was one of the bloodiest in Marine Corps history, resulting in more than 6,800 U.S. deaths and nearly 19,000 Japanese deaths.
The battle was famously documented by Joe Rosenthal’s photograph of the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi. The capture of Iwo Jima provided the United States with a crucial strategic base for air operations against Japan, marking a turning point in the Pacific campaign of World War II.
Sweeney reflected on Iwo Jima’s enduring legacy, connecting it to the families served by the Military Friends Foundation.
“Today, the same unbreakable spirit lives on in our Gold Star Families,” Sweeney said. “This award belongs to you.”
Sweeney is an Army wife and has served as the executive director of the Military Friends Foundation since 2009. Over the past 15 years, Sweeney has started programs that focus on the emergent needs of service members and families of those who have fallen. Her efforts have resulted in millions of dollars raised for direct aid.
Sweeney also focuses on developing a collaborative model of care to bring together public and private resources for families of those who have fallen. Under her leadership, the Military Friends Foundation has established year-round community empowerment events for military families as well as for relatives of those who have fallen. These initiatives provide peer-to-peer support while increasing public recognition of the sacrifices these families have made.
