Amidst Grief - What Went Right in Boston: Post Marathon Blog Debriefing

We Got Him! But, now the debriefing begins - also known as "Monday Morning Quarterbacking".  

In the haste of some to create even more mayhem out of the incident are at least two Republican politicians (John McCain and Lindsey Graham), who should be focused on productive governing, but who are deflecting energy away from real questions raised by this tragedy, that turned into a multiple critical incident event.  Instead of debating what kind of legal trail the surviving terror suspect should receive, these politicians should be asking (a) How did two brilliant young immigrant men of Chechen origin become radicalized against America and (b) how did the two gain access to weapons and materials to make terrorist bombs? 

As a former Emergency Medical Services (EMS) administrator, an extension of my profession as a registered nurse, there's no doubt in my mind that post Boston bombing debriefings will be intense.  Everyone, virtually all who were involved, will be examining what went right and how to improve the public response to the April 15th horrific and evil Patriot's Day Marathon incident.  

What began on the third Monday in April was concluded five days later, bringing the daunting terror to an end- but not the Monday morning quarterbacking (MMQ).  For example, was a lockdown security measure on the entire Boston community necessary?  What constitutes "terrorism", anyway?  Moreover, do terrorists have Miranda rights, especially if they're also American citizens?

During the 5 days of mayhem, four innocent people were killed, as well as the terror suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, the brother of the captured suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,19, who was found hiding in a shrink wrapped boat in a Watertown, Mass. back yard.  

Innocent lives cut tragically short as a result of this terror included:
1.  Martin Richard, 8, of Dorchester MA who was at the Boston Marathon to cheer his father across the finish line.

Martin Richard 8 killed while watching his father cross the  Boston Marathon finish  line

2.  Krystle Campbell, 29, a Medford,Mass., native and Medford High School graduate living in Arlington, MA, was killed. In Medford, Mayor Michael McGlynn said he spoke with Campbell’s father, William, on Tuesday. "My daughter was a dream daughter. She was just what every father wanted,” McGlynn said.

3.  Lu Lingz, was a Chinese graduate student studying mathematics and statistics and scheduled to receive her graduate degree in 2015. Lu was at the finish line of the race with two friends.

4.  Sean Collier, 26, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus police, was fatally shot on Thursday while sitting in his police cruiser as events began to unfold that led to the death of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and the apprehension of his brother Dzhokhar, 19, after a massive manhunt.

These four innocent victims should have their pictures pasted on the walls of all debriefing sessions related to the Boston Marathon
bombing.  

Those who MMQ by suggesting the Boston security lockdown was an overreach should consider what it must have been like to witness body parts being blown around chaotic Boylston Street.  Politicians who waste time criticizing the legal proceedings for the living Tsarnaev suspect should, instead, consider how their failure to pass gun control might impact on the rights of other innocent people in the future, who will be caught in harms way, like officer Collier. No one should be given access to guns that put our public safety people at risk!  Second amendment rights created in the year 1789 were never written with the intention of bringing harm to innocent people!

Obviously, a great deal will be learned by the multiple post Boston debriefing sessions, at all levels.  Most important, this incident will be documented to prevent other critical and tragic incidents. Information will be used to prevent seditious groups from plotting their own misplaced outrage of unknown origin.

Meanwhile, in our national grief, the outcome of "Boston Strong" emerged as a victorious theme against all terrorism.  Let's hope the mantra is copyrighted by Boston and never replicated by any other location.  

MMQ must keep in mind how public safety comes before political grandstanding and should trump Second Amendment gun rights, allowing people to own weapons for the purpose of killing innocents.  

What went right in the aftermath of the Boston terror attack includes (a) there were no hostage taking incidents by the suspects because they were rapidly pursued before they could think up more carnage and (b) Americans have shown extraordinary support for the city where our nation's freedom began.

Now, we must move forward to prevent further evil from obstructing our hard earned freedoms.