“This is our fucking city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom.”
-
David
Ortiz, DH Boston Red Sox, April, 20, 2013
 |
| 'Boston Strong' |
At the 117th running
of the ‘Boston Marathon’, on Monday,
April 15th 2013, at 2:50 pm Eastern, two explosions happened near
the finish line. A senseless, act of
terror, it killed 3 people and injured 264, marring an historic tradition that
is the ‘Boston Marathon’. As the city tried to comprehend what had
happened, the brave law enforcement officers brought the heinous criminals to
justice, but the damage had been done.
The spirit of city had been broken and a wound had appeared, seemingly
never to be healed. That all changed on
the following Saturday afternoon, as before a home game, David Ortiz, the Designated
Hitter for the ‘Boston Red Sox’ took
to the mic. The team had finished last
the previous year and had no prospects for improvement. The people had low expectations and with
their hearts broken with the incident at the marathon, were clutching at straws
for a miracle. It was then that David
Ortiz made his famous speech and with a single expletive – which even FCC
endorsed – galvanized a city that no prayer vigil could have done. With this statement he brought millions
together and ‘Boston Strong’ was born
as a slogan for the nation.
I had come to New England as a
graduate student and adopted this region as my home. As I spent my time at ‘The University Of Connecticut’, I made lifelong friends and
developed bonds that time would never erase.
I will never forget my time here, all those year’s of research, parties,
special occasions, long drives during Fall, vacations etc. One of the things we enjoyed the most was visiting
Boston, and for all the years that I was there, we had rooted for the Boston
sports teams as our own. Even after graduation,
when I had moved to Pittsburgh, this region had felt like home. That’s why the events of April 15 had cut so
close to the heart…had hurt so much. It was an attack
on my home. I had been here on 9/11 and
the tragedy of that day will never be matched….at least I hope so. But this felt more personal, and I decided I
had to do something…I decided that I had to be there the following year to honor the victims. To show that we were 'Boston Strong'.
I applied for a
volunteer role at the '118th Boston Marathon'. The process for application included some checks
– and rightfully so – but after a few months, I was informed that I had been
selected. As much as I would have loved
to have been there on “Marathon Monday”,
it was less practical with my work schedule, and so I decided to volunteer for
the “Pasta Party” the day
before. While it would not have been the
same emotionally, it was still better than doing nothing. So I was going to be a part of the team - one of my proudest feelings - and I
flew into Connecticut earlier in the weekend and after spending some time with
my friends, arrived in Boston on the morning of my volunteer assignment. As I took a train to the ‘City Hall’, I saw a bunch of ‘Bruins’
fans on their way to a playoff game. Being amongst them, I felt as if I
belonged. It was as if I was coming home.
 |
| The 'Red Sox' had done their duty |
On Wednesday October 30th 2013, in Game 6 of the ‘World Series’, the ‘Boston Red Sox’ went from last to first...the world
champions. You cannot make this up. A year when it would mean the most for a
grieving city, their most beloved team had won the supreme prize. Yes, I will say it again, “You cannot make this up”! On November 2nd, there was a
parade to celebrate this victory and as the ‘Duck
Boats’ approached the finish line of the marathon, members of the team got
down and placed the ‘World Series’
trophy there, draped in ‘617 Boston
Strong’ jersey. It was a poignant
moment that cannot be matched. “I think when we all stopped in that moment,
and 'God Bless America' was sung, I think for a split second, and rightfully
so, it took us back to the day in which we departed here on April 15," manager
John Farrell said. "And again, in
some ways, to bring a little bit of closure to it in terms of how the baseball
season related to the tragedy, it was kind of a unique moment."
The heroes of the 2013 ‘Boston Red Sox’ team had done their job
to help heal the wounds. Now it was our
turn to continue that process. It was my
turn.
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