It was just another Patriots’ Day would be the 117th annual Boston Marathon, with spectators from all over the world. For Sydney Corcoran and her parents, they were there supporting their aunt run in the race (Brian 6). At 2:49 that afternoon, it would never be the same for Sydney. With over 5,600 runners still trying to complete the twenty-six mile run, a pressure-cooker bomb exploded near the finish line on Boylston Street. Next, another bomb exploded within seconds of the first, only a couple hundred feet down the street (“Boston” History).
For Sydney, it was the beginning of a nightmare. She had lost her parents, and was down on the ground with a piece of metal the size of a cell phone stuck in her foot (Brian 5). There was no turning back now for most bystanders near the finish line, and the Boston Marathon would never be the same. The suffering and sadness of this tragedy left the city with three deaths, hundreds without limbs, several hospitalized, and billions of Americans worried about going out into public trying to enjoy life (Price et al. 4).
The events that happened on April 15th, 2013, come to show that one couldn’t have done anything better to prevent this tragedy, all the opulation needs is an open mind about how equality is among Boston on April, 15th, 2013. It all ethnicities. Likewise to what was just stated, one couldn’t have done anything more to prevent these people from setting off the two bombs. “Security measures had been tight that day, with bomb- sniffing dogs and more than 1,000 police officers and soldiers patrolling the race.
Even so, two young men had managed to slip through the crowd carrying homemade bombs in their bulky backpacks. Camera footage would later show each man dropping his bag and walking away” (Lewis and Brian 6). Around 0:30 that night, Sean Collier, a police officer was shot in his patrol car. Authorities investigated and would associate the murder to Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. After Collier was killed, Tamerlan hijacked a Mercedes and held the owner in hostage telling him that he was the bomber. Dzhokhar followed him in a Honda while later joining him and the hostage in the Mercedes.
They drove around and forced the hostage to get money from the ATM by using his credit card (“Boston” History). Nobody will exactly know the real intentions of the Tsarnaev brothers and their actions for the bombing. One source says, “During the first questioning while still under medication, Dzhokhar claimed that his brother, Tamerlan was the organizer. Dzhokhar affirmed that deep Islamic beliefs and the war in Afghanistan and Iraq were their motivation factors. However, they were self-radicalized and unlinked to any foreign terrorist groups.
Dzhokhar explained that they studied to build bombs from the al-Qaeda online magazine affiliated in Yemen. Surprisingly, Dzhokhar stated that after a successful attack on Boston, they had planned to bomb Times Square Building in New York City. ” (“Boston” Boston). This act of terror caused a great amount of pandemonium and uprise in the city of Boston, but one couldn’t imagine how close the city got after this event. The bombs at the Boston Marathon changed many people’s ways of thinking, and how society shouldn’t ever rule out people of different ethnicity, or religion.
Before any of this happened, many wonder what took place before 2:49 that afternoon. The development and events that took place before the tragedy are very intriguing. Even with security measures and lots of police on sight, everyone must’ve felt safe. Many were just enjoying the fternoon while watching such a historic race. The Tsarnaev brothers initially planned to target Boston on the Fourth of July. Once they had constructed their bombs faster than their assumption, they worked on setting the date sooner.
That is when they set it on April 15th, Patriot’s day in Massachusetts. “The focus on linking the explosions to something patriotic indicates that the brothers were attempting to make an anti- American statement by disrupting some patriotic activity and creating havoc with the explosions” (Powell et al. 192). Once again, there is no true explanation on why the bombs were laced, and for what reasons they wanted to ruin many lives. The investigations that took place after this is captivating, because of the initial plan that the brothers had.
It could have been possible that if this event took place on the Fourth of July, it would have a very different story to it. It is possible that some reasoning behind this event was targeted towards Americans who felt that the Tsarnaev’s didn’t belong in the states, or the brothers felt threatened by the population in the United States. This is a big factor in which if the brothers didn’t feel jeopardized y their differences in religion or ethnicity, then they wouldn’t have tried to terrorize a very patriotic event.
Previously mentioned, Boston responded with a great amount of compassion after the bombings, regardless of the Tsarnaev’s unknown intentions. The saying “Boston Strong” began to be a popular saying months following the bombs. The city rebuilt and came together as one during this heart wrenching tragedy. Relating back to the first paragraph, what was next for Sydney and her family? With a piece of metal as big as a cell phone, Sydney was in surgery for circa six hours (Brian 5). The medical staff at the hospital tracked down patients and found out that Sydney’s mother was also at the building getting surgery.
They had wheeled her mother into Sydney’s room, and for the first time they had spoken since they saw each other before the bombs went off. Sydney’s mother had lost both of her legs during the explosion, but still inspired her daughter to be strong through it all. Sydney moved on and is all recovered from her injuries, and was voted prom queen that same year at her high school. Only one thing was different than the other candidates, he was on crutches with a big bandage on her foot (Brian 6).
Many of the survivors attended Boston Red Sox games, and were recognized at national events across the United States. Many of the survivors still continue to inspire our generation, showing how to cope with a loss, and still move forward with a positive attitude. All of the 5,633 runners who did not get to finish the race in 2013 due to the bombs were guaranteed a spot in the race the following year (“Boston” History). Many couldn’t have gotten through this tragedy without the love and support of everyone in the country.
Many people think the reactions to this devastating event couldn’t have been any better, and the results show the world how positive people should be in the worst moments. The Boston Marathon was a tragedy that nobody will ever forget in this day and age, it left a scar on so many people’s hearts, all from two brothers who possibly never saw the clear meaning of life behind all of the tragedies that has dealt with their birthplace. The two Tsarnaev brothers killed a part of Boston on April 15th, 2013. Only a foolish town would get down and not pick up though.
Boston Strong” has a never ending impact on the nation, and this tragedy struck them right in the heart. Growing up in a generation where tragedies are seen every week isn’t a good thing to be proud of. It is time that people start standing up and making this world a good one without so many tragedies. Just as Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The greatest tragedy is not the brutality of the evil people, but rather the silence of the good people” (“Torture”). The world resembles a lot of good people, so go out and don’t be silent, make your voice heard.
