Boston Marathon Bombing and the Iconic Photograph

15th April 2023 was the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing, which killed three and injured around 260. One of the perpetrators was killed and another is awaiting death trial, they killed a policeman while on the run.

This write-up is not about the incident, but more about the people who were affected by the event. For most of us, it is a terrorist act, a lone wolf one. A dastardly attempt that attack participants of a solemn event, but fortunately did not get death and gory which the terrorists wanted. All three deaths happened at the locations of the blast, they died almost instantly. However, the timely intervention of the healthcare professionals, law enforcement, officials, and volunteers ensured that the aid was swift. The first operation occurred within nine minutes of the blast, and all injured got the treatment they deserved in time and survived.

The human tragedy was huge. The Richards family lost their son Martin 8 but was able to save their daughter Jane — who lost one leg.

Krystie Campbell bled to death in the hands of the paramedic, but her best friend Karen Rand McWatters survived with an amputation.

Such stories of tragedy and valor were many. The Norden brothers both lost a leg but moved on with life, Celeste Corcoran who is a double amputee, and her daughter Sydney Corcoran who avoided any long-term loss thanks to timely intervention. Or the husband and wife Patrick Downes who lost one and two legs respectively.

The Boston Marathon tragedy is unique in many ways. It attacked some of the most able-bodied sports enthusiasts, on their lower limbs. The heroes of that day ensured that the terrorists did not get the body count, but countless lost their limbs, mobility, and dreams. But it is also a story of humanity and extraordinary human resilience. All who went down but survived for another day got the medical, physical, and intellectual of countless others. One of them was Jeff Bauman, who lost both his legs, got prosthetics, got married, had a kid, divorced, and lived a poignant life with passion. His story has been captured in the book “Stronger” and the movie of the same name starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Or take the case of Rebekah Gregory who has taken back her life after losing a leg.

The Boston Marathon Bombing and its aftermath, like any great tragedy, ultimately retrospective restores our faith in human civilizations. Life and limbs and livelihoods were lost, and there was never a true “moving on”. The pain always remains real for those who suffer. But life goes on, times act as a healer (though always partial), and new dreams come up.

Nothing possibly captures the day better than the iconic photograph that was captured that day by John Tlumacki of The Boston Globe. He is one of the two staff photographers who cover the event every year, even today.

The person on the ground is 78-year-old Bill Iffrig, finishing in four hours and four minutes. He was not injured and is living at an assisted living facility today.

The three policemen are Rachel McGuire, Kevin McGill, and Javier Pagan from the Boston Police Department. They were seen rushing in action, even when the second blast was happening around 100 meters down the track. They became instant symbols of resilience and call of doubt, their images used over and over by the department.

The man in the blue is Tom Meagher, who is the Boston Marathon finish line coordinator from 1996. And on the left in yellow is another official. It was Tom and the official who helped Bill Iffrig on his feet, as the police rushed for more acute victims.

And if we zoom into the second photo, we can see the smoke from the second explosion, as well as John Tlumacki taking the shot.

10 years on, the photo which was made to numerous covers and publications continues to be witness to a slice of history. It shows an unfortunate cocktail of vile cowardice, chaos, and suffering, but resilience. As the 10th edition of the Boston Marathon post the tragedy happens today 17th April, let there be love, pride, passion, and hope — relived again.

Let Boston Marathon again become the story of human triumph, in more ways than one.