Blasts in Boston Bring Back Memories of Combat Duty

Many first responders on the scene Monday were also veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Benny from Engine 7 in Boston knew exactly what the explosion was when he first heard it. He is a veteran Marine.

Conflict & Justice

A Boston Red Sox hat is seen among a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings on Boylston street in Boston, Massachusetts April 18, 2013. President Barack Obama was due to visit Boston on Thursday to attend a memorial service for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing amid a manhunt for a suspect seen on video taken before two blasts struck near the finish line on Monday.
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT ATHLETICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) – RTXYQS9

Reuters

When President Obama came to Boston on Thursday to give words of comfort to the city, he also paid tribute to those people who rushed in to help the injured near the Marathon finish line.

Benny was one of those first responders on the scene. He's a Boston firefighter and he's asked that we not use his last name.

Like so many of the first responders at the Marathon, Benny is also a veteran.

He served as a Marine in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

He just never thought he'd be putting his combat experience to use at home.