April 15th 2013. Of all the days in our union, it will go down as one of the worst.
It’s known as The Boston Bombing.
It was a day of terror, a day of tears, a day of tragedy.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year.
Now Boston Strong is the city’s motto. But a year ago today, Boston didn’t feel so strong. Boston felt vulnerable and sad.
In some ways, the Boston Massacre feels like it happened just yesterday. I remember where I was. I can smell the smoke, I can still hear the anguish, I can still see the finish line that few would cross.
In some ways the bombing feels like it was a thousand other tragedies ago.
The anniversary of a tragedy always reminds me that NEWS is a four letter word. News consumes and destroys and laughs at the passage of time.
In the time it takes the world to spin around the sun, a lot of news has happened.
People have died. Planes have disappeared. Buildings have crumbled.
Mall massacres are more common than thermal undergarments in Grand Rapids. Disruptive passengers on commercial jet liners are expected like pumpkin pie in late November. Political scandals are more ubiquitous than a Justin Bieber hair cut in an all boy’s prep school.
The more horrific, the more we seem to put up with it. News is a relentless beast that forces humanity to cope with the unimaginable.
There have been so many school shootings this year, they sadly blend together. It’s like one gigantic finger painting of senselessness.
“We interrupt this normally scheduled program to bring you a breaking news event. The News monster paints the world a live picture from a 1000 feet above as innocence dashes to the waiting arms of its mother.
But the Boston Tragedy was singularly unique in its devastation, it’s horror, it’s ability to command attention and unify a nation.
I wrote this the day after the bombing broke.
The day deserves to be remembered because of the brave souls who fought to survive, to over come the evil that ignited a week of hell, to become Boston Strong.
DATELINE: BOSTON
You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy.™
Terror at the Boston Marathon.
It was Marathon Monday in Bean Town. It was Patriot’s Day. It was suppose to be a day of celebration. Instead it was a day of darkness.
The BREAKING NEWS banner filled every screen in the newsroom.
The bombs the confusion the chaos. It was a terrible trip down memory lane.
It reminded me of the Oklahoma City Bombing and the World Trade Center Towers coming down.
People stared at images, dumbfounded. I suddenly felt overwhelmed again by that hollow feeling knowing that some evil force had once again hit us below the belt, blown up innocent people, proving we are always vulnerable.
In the feed room, I will watch a chaotic medley of flowing blood and severed limbs. It was suppose to be a celebration of human triumph. 26 miles. Man over physical limits. Instead, it was a momentary blow for terror.
The video shows an explosion and a runner goes down. There are screams and people ducking for cover. A 2nd blast and a ball of fire comes from a block a way. 1/2 a million people are lining the streets. Many are hurt. Everyone is stunned.
2 portable detonation devices were used high ranking investigators will say.
The blasts went off 2 hours after winners crossed the finish line, some 4:09 into the race.
The Boston Marathon, a symbol for the triumph of the human spirit, was transformed into a televised war zone. It looked like a market bombing in Beirut.
One runner said he saw a barrel explode, then a flash of fire and smoke.
“A bomb knocked me to the ground,” a witness said. “and everyone was panicking and running and then I felt the ground again and we were getting trampled.”
People described injured spectators piled on the sidewalk. One man said severed limbs were strewn in the streets.
A doctor says that 2 people were dead on scene. A reporter said at least 80 were injured going to six Boston hospitals.
Boylston Street in Boston was ground zero.
The marathon massacre makes you wonder if we are safe? Are we ever safe? It’s the soft target the terrorists are looking for. Movie theaters and sporting events and concerts full of innocent people.
Its hard to protect people from all threats all the time.
Guaranteeing safety is not realistic. There were police and national guard personnel everywhere. And still a child died and people lost legs.
Is there any way to stay safe?
No.
Having said that. All we can do is Live life. Be vigilant. Be cautious.
To the victims we pray for you.
To those who did it.
We’ll see ya in hell.
Boston Strong.
Life’s Crazy.™