Transcripts For CSPAN Boston Bombing Memorial Service Part 1

CSPAN Boston Bombing Memorial Service Part 1 April 20, 2014

Good afternoon. Glad so many of you here dayy, we know that this will always be hard. It is never easy together so close to the finish line or to the place where our lives apart. Hard to wishs be you are someplace else. When mom to be anywhere but here in this moment. 360 dustin is five days an hour after hate and violence disrupted a beautiful april day. Is a comfort to be here with families and friends got us through the tragic day. Tois an honor to be able thank the First Responders who carry some of you to safety. This doesnt little more to shake the hands of the doctors and nurses who stop the bleeding, savior lives. Moment, the world is a better place. I know many of you do not feel like you are. You should go to get through the good days, the bad. I know. So many of you have told me about this year. Your first birthday without your beloved son. The first holiday without your daughter. 4 for thejuly fireworks scared you. Sleep without a nightmare. The first day you thought you could live your life in a way that corresponded with your dreams. Are used to describe a year of grief and recovery, resilience, coverage. Those words have even greater meaning now. Have rings true. We are many strong in the broken plate. Family and friends who always miss their loved ones, you are strong at this row can place. Move toward hearing has just begun. Broken strong at this bloke i place. You are strong at this broken place. In therength drives heart it today because of you and the passion that took hold of the city. The generosity that resides on. T is the heartbeat of boston. One was put up with a new po box. From 50 countries in every state 195,000 people gave. No one had to ask. No one had to made a home call. No one had to explain the lifelong care they would need. You were ready to give. Fake sales and pizza parties. People gave a tip jar in a restaurant in pittsburgh. People areostons strong and the best. You, we, can make it through these hard times. I know that some of you cannot hear me very well. It is not just because of the fancy way i talk. What a wise ass, huh . Some of you lost your hearing that day. Maybe it is both. You have to. I want to hear the solemn promise. Lovethat i support the that will never waver. Whatever you have to do to carry on, know that i was right there by your side. Did along a this route to cheer for your love from your loved 1 to cheer for your loved ones. You came in here to admire resilience. You will do all of that more. We will stand with you. Remember with you. Will never forget what this day means to you. I will never forget. Races, thethe long people who followed us will look to you as much as they admire as a pounded down the streets. And how what happened your generosity make it one of the how low to ground here on earth. This day will always be hard. This day will always be strong. We gather here today with memories of glory is resolved to stand for the people in a city we love with all of our hearts. Thank you very much. [applause] a year ago today we chose to run toward smoke in danger. We chose to utilize our belts and first shot to create turning kids. Andhose to hold the injured our arms. We chose to offer our hearts to those in despair and art treasures to those in need. Love. Se to that has made all the difference. The days that follow, we continue to express profound love by selling the threads of community. We made our city safe again. Gave blood, performed and underwent countless surgeries and began the long journey of psychological and physical rehabilitation. Our hospital showed why they are the best in the world. Not only for their clinical expertise by their enormous capacity for compassion. While many of us here struggle to deal with in the hospital walls, a movement coalesced throughout our city and state and country. A simple phrase within that system for meeting became our call. It symbolizes our determination. It is the firefighter running toward danger. It is the quiet moment, individual snapshot. It is the countless hours our spent by our bedside as they offer their love. This allows a married couple to reunite. It is a private visit from a Wounded Warrior showing us that it will get better. It is the movers volunteering their time to show the newly disabled. They are searching for closing so, they met a all devices. The legs. Sserby sees it is the ribbons proudly to paint on our cruisers buses and cars. Of yourrtainly a band brothers brings home a championship table 11 all part. To a beloved ballpark. We also have heroes within our families, a devoted mother who drove for hours on the day of the marathon with a caring friend, to be by his brother chief ofserve as a staff. A loving sister moves across the country. Parents stricken with fear and overwhelming sadness to find a dutch sounding way day after day with hopes of willing the children back to health extended family giving all they could to some for those they love. Unwed tooth lead and stay fight other side through the emotional agony of watching someone you love suffer in the beauty of knowing that you will get through this together. In sickness and in health. Val felt soat tangible. We would never wish the devastation and pain we have experienced on any of you. Do wish that all of you, at some point in your lives, feel as loved as we have felt over this past year. The most humbling experience of our lives. We hope you feel all the emotion we feel when we say enqueue. Thank you. What will we do without each other . We never should have met this way but we are so grateful for each other. Shared our sense of loss and challenges as well as our hope, gratitude, and triumphs. We have been there for each other and we will continue to be there to pick each other up and celebrate milestones for years to come. Most of all we will cherish the friendships are families have forged with bonds of mutual admiration. To those who continue to struggle through this despair, ongoing medical care and the prospect of heart wrenching surgical decisions, do not forget for a second that we will be there for you at a moments notice. We will always remember our whether we raised them as our children, new them for years, met them once or only met them in spirit, we will carry them in our hearts. To their families, know that youll never be alone. The city stands beside you. We remember those who died as pieces of us, the intellectual charm of lindsay, seans commitment to justice, crystals infectious smile and the childhood charm of martin. We will choose to think of them not in association with hate the forever connected to our commitment to peace. That will be there lasting message to us. We all know when historians write about the devastation that was brought upon our families and how the Guardian Angels came to be. Hope they will tell of the compassion that followed. We no longer have to think philosophically about the capacity of the human spirit. It is right here in the city of boston. Forfamilies have been here generations are recently call boston home, we know that we have written another chap or in a rich history of revolutionary people. That wepride in knowing are part of something much larger than ourselves. Spirit, we choose this marathon monday to show the world what boston represents through our deeds and dedication. Will writef us who and run, we will do so for those who are no longer with us. Cancer,mily member with for our great city. And for countless other causes. For those of us who will crowd this as we will embrace emotional catalyst. For our Guardian Angels let them hear us more. Let us show them they live on in our families, friendships and community. That wenfectious spirit will feel on the third monday in april for years to come. Proud to be a bostonian. I am so proud to be connect it to all of you. [applause] Vice President biden, governor patrick, mayor walsh, mayor menino, survivors, First Responders, distinguished guests. Marks one year from when our lives were changed forever. They change that number of us the change that none of us wanted. Our paths to recovery have been unique and we have all traveled at their own pace, we continue to move forward. Today i will not focus on the past but me mindful of our successes and be thankful for those who helped us take our first steps and reclaim her life. , fore First Responders running into harms way and giving us the a that we needed. To the doctors, surgeons and their staffs who completely gave of themselves to ensure that are most severely injured were given a chance to live again. To all lawenforcement agencies who work tirelessly and quickly to make our city secure again. Andhe physical therapists counselors who continue to support us physically and emotionally. To the Boston Athletic Association the contributors and the countless others who gave us the strength to recognize each day as a new beginning and the hope for a brighter tomorrow. Thank you for your love, compassion, and generosity. In aave touched our hearts way that many times our gratitude could only be ouressed through tears of joy. [applause] thank you for your leadership during one of the citys darkest moments. You are both symbols of strength and compassion. During the early days, you gave us the opportunity to mourn, grieve, and reflect in private and through the creation of the , you merely provided critical a muchneeded financial and emotional support. Barbara thorpe, Lorie Van Damme and the entire staff, it enqueue for your tireless thank you for your tireless commitment in anticipating our needs and being completely devoted to each and every one of us on a personal level. Tom a yourivors journey has not been easy, and the road is still long, your inner strength, determination and resolve displayed during these past 12 months have made you an inspiration to many. Forward is a step away from the past and a step toward a new tomorrow. Exemplifying for the highest qualities in mankind and bless those who lost their lives as a result of this tragic event. Be proud of what you have accomplished here it be proud you have decided to take control of your life. Be proud you have chosen to live and know that each of you are making a difference in the lives of others. In the words of our president barack obama one year ago, even when our heart aches, we summoned the strength that maybe we did not even know we have. To carry on and we finished the race. And we dod the race that because of who we are. We do that because we know that someone around the bend, a stranger, has a cup of water or use our spirits. Smile, just the when we think we have hit a wall, there will be someone there to cheer us on and pick us up if we fall. This day next year on a third monday, the world will return to tos dutiful American City run harder than ever to cheer louder than before for the 118th maritime marathon and bet on it. Here we are one year later. We are all boston strong. See you on monday. Hello. Good afternoon. Majorar ago my husband adam davis had just returned from afghanistan where he was fighting the war on terror, on injured. We took a long walk into sunny boston. In a matter of seconds our world was changed forever. It is difficult to believe it has only been one year. Weeks. S like only a few we have a long road yet to walk. I stand here today as a proud bostonian. Adam and i just moved to boston three short years ago. The city has stood by us. Supported us. Help us heal. Held each other in the face of terror. We grieved in the face of tremendous loss. We grew in the face of adversity. Is notvivor Community Something any of us have chosen to be a part of. We are just that, a community. There were many moments we could have not made it through had it not been for one another. And providing a shoulder to cry on, a warm embrace, and a hand to hold in a crowd. We know just by eye contact with the other is feeling. I am thankful for our friendship. I look back on this past year, i think about the lessons we have learned and that had to relearn, that no milestone is too small to celebrate, even walking into a nonhandicapped act and for the first time doing a happy dance. It is the little things. That moods are contagious. Our community, our city, our surgeons,onders, our our physical and mental us fail. S will not let our devotion to strength is why we stand here today. I have learned it is ok to not be ok. We still have to let ourselves grieve. We can stay in bed even. Or a few days it is the boston strong attitude that gets us back out. We cannot find the string to do it ourselves, we have those around us that lift us back up. My wish if i were allowed to grant one is that we use this day not as just a day of remembrance but a day of action. I wish that everyone who is facing adversity today would have the support we have had. If anyone is wondering what they can do, what you can do, i would answer, look around. Neede in your community your support. They need your patience. They need your time in dealing with similar situations such as ours. Let april 15 be a day when we all Work Together to make this world a better place. The biggest lesson of all the lessons that i have learned over this past year is that something in your life, in anyones life, can go horrifically, terribly wrong in a matter of seconds. Make every us to second count. Believe me. They do. Thank you. [applause] ive heard it said lifepeople come into our somethingon, brining we must learn lead to those who if we letst to grow them and we help them in return well, i dont know if ive true but i know im who i am today because i knew you orbit,comet pulled from as it passes the sun like a stream that meets the boulder halfway through the wood who can say five then change for the better . Because i knew you i have been changed for good it well may be that we may never meet again in this lifetime so let me say before we part is here because i learned it from you youll be with me like a hamper and all my heart handprint on my heart how our storyter ends, i know you have rewritten my because you are my friend like a ship blown from the harbor like you see jobs from a skype bird halfway through the wood i dont know if ive been changed for the better i do believe i have been changed for the better and because i knew you because i knew you because i knew you i have been changed for good [applause] as it says in the book of james, the testing of our faith produces for surveillance perseverance. We learned that in the past have felt it,s seen it, share it appeared for the families who lost loved ones, for those recovering from injury of every kind, it is what life is all about now. It is about dancing again after losing a leg. It is about starting a marriage forged and tragedy. It is about learning early on to care for family and friends. The testing of our faith creates perseverance. Is there a tougher test of faith for a parent than the loss of a child . Or sync your child badly hurt while you fight pain and injury yourself . Seeing your child badly hurt what you fight pain and injury yourself . Remembrance, i start at the heart of the community where i was a kid. Other day i came across some photos from a Neighborhood Party a few years back. One picture stopped me cold. There i was with some friends, my arm around a little way, holding him close. He was wearing a smile that could light a deadly part fenway park. Little boy was Martin Richard. His parents set a date is not passed we do not cry over the loss of martin. We also laugh and think about him. It feels the right way to remember a little boy with in a few days, the Little League will open their season. Martin later in that league with enthusiasm and sheer joy. League,coach in that watching kids like martin gained skills and competence and understanding the importance of never giving up also martins older brother henry gets that. He is an exceptional student, good athlete, a great kid. Always eager to help. He is the kind of kid you want your kids to be friends with. So is his sister, jane. Now they are teaching us a thing or two about never giving up. By the way, you didnt hear from me, the james is back laying basketball again. [applause] martin would have loved that. Way he saw the world, anything was possible will stop all across our city, we are learning that. Were learning not just perseverance, but resilience. Zillions rooted in hope. We may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. We endure the night violence came to our city, to boylston street, and it felt like we knew everyone who was hurt all stop everyone who was suffering. We heard also will stop that heard follows earlier routes, down the redline in dorchester, up 93 through somerville and on Memorial Drive to mrt. Our grief draws a painful map. We look to our First Responders who are always our beacon of hope, courage and hard. We saw police officers, firefighters and emts running toward danger as they always do, as they always will. We saw medical staff and volunteers tending to the injured. We saw businesses on boylston street sheltering the traumatized. And our Public Employees from the city of boston russian rushing to find resources. We saw people who had come to cheer on the others and who came running to save the lives of perfect strangers. As the day went on and we theyed what they lost, told us the story of our city. Lingzi lu was drawn here from halfway around the world to study, learn and explore. Was always thel last to leave work, but she was always there when her grandmother needed her. What helier was doing always wanted to do, building a career as a police officer, devoted to community. Martin richard was a little neighborhood kid with a big smile and even bigger heart. Together, they showed us the quality of our city that will carry us through. Survivors, we bore witness to your experience. We gain strength from your current edge and we feel hope for our kurt for our future. We came together as a city. Within 24 hours, leaders in government, business and philanthropy formed the one fund. Thousands of people gathered in dorchester filling garvey park with candles and prayers. Help came from across the world. People reached out to us in solidarity, offering messages of healing and hope. Next week thousands of runners and millions of our friends from around the world will come to boston. The 118th Boston Marathon will be a living breathing celebration of our cities resilience. We still hurt. We hurt from trauma, we hurt from grief, we hurt from loss. We hurt whenever violent hits our streets anywhere in our city and our kids become victims. We hurt now as we mourn the loss of two of our firefighters in a fire. Just last week, another hero lost, a young Boston Police

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