Boston Bombing Heroes: This is Who They Were

According to CNN, officials could soon file both federal terrorism as well as murder charges against Dzhokar Tsarnaev, the 19 year-old accused bomber in the Boston attacks. It has also been reported that the suspect continues to remain in critical condition after he was caught hiding inside a boat on Friday.

The Boston bombing is a tragedy that shocked the nation; even more importantly, it will forever shatter the lives of the victims and many families whose loved ones are maimed or worse yet, killed during the explosion. This malicious act put the spotlight on both the dark side and the bright side of the human nature. The destruction, the maimed individuals and the deaths are clear examples of this dark side. On the other hand, the action of the first responders during the mayhem that followed the explosion was an indication of the bright side of our nature. In fact, during this tragic week, the first responders, the local police and the FBI deserved a great deal of credit for the excellent job that they did.

The brothers Tsarnaev placed the homemade bomb at the end of the finish line of the marathon in order to inflict as much damage as possible. Indeed, in a matter of seconds, the two bombs killed three people and injured more than a hundred of others. In the midst of such chaos, the natural inclination of many of us would be to protect ourselves, which in turn might make us run away from the danger. Many people, however, decided to help those who were gravely injured, thereby eschewing self-preservation in the process. In fact, many first responders risked their lives by running toward the explosion so that they could provide critical assistance to those who had life-threatening injuries. By putting their own lives in danger to help others, the first responders showed tremendous bravery.

Those who perpetrate these types of heinous are oftentimes difficult to find. For instance, it took five years before authorities tracked down Eric Rudolf, who was responsible for the Atlanta bombing during the 1996 Olympic games. In this case, it took the FBI less than a week to identify the two perpetrators of the Boston bombing. Thus, the FBI did a great job in identifying the two suspects, thereby solving the case in a short amount of time.

After those two explosions, it was inevitable that a certain level of panic would reign over the city. This panic became more acute because the suspects were still at large after the tragic event. But local law enforcement did a good job in securing not only the area but also the city. Although the city was on edge in the days following the tragedy, the large presence of local police helped dampen the anxiety of many residents. More importantly, because of their exhaustive search, the police was able to track down the whereabouts of Dzhokar, who forced the residents of Watertown to remain locked inside their houses for hours. To show their gratitude, many residents gave a round of applause to the police after they captured him.

The third week of April had been a devastating week for many people across the country, particularly for those who reside in Boston. The bombing, however, could have resulted in more deaths and it might have taken longer to find the perpetrators had it not been for the great work of the first respondents along with the FBI and local police. Therefore, their action and effort deserve some recognition.