Sadly the bombs took the lives of Krystal Marie Campbell, Lu
Lingzi, and Martin William Richard, and during the manhunt to catch the
suspects, we lost MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. In total another 264 people were injured near
the marathon’s finish line, many of whom lost limbs.
An act of terror is meant to intimidate, as much as it is
meant to kill and maim; however, what the terrorists failed to contemplate was
the strength of Bostonians and the people of Massachusetts. With the assistance of public safety officials,
first responders, hospital personnel, government agents, volunteers, and people
from around the country and the world, we grew stronger as we united together.
No matter how hard terrorists try to break down our society
and our values as Americans, they will never breach our trust and faith in one
another, and although a year has passed since the events of that infamous day
occurred, we remain Boston Strong, and I couldn’t be more proud.