It’s a photo that has “gone viral” — but, more importantly, it will be forever seen as a quintessentially haunting photo. The photo of Martin Richard, 8, who was proudly greeting his Dad at the Boston Marathon’s finish line. He wrote the sign “No more hurting people. Peace” a year before he died when one of two bombs went off as he waited for his Dad. And his family? CNN:
Martin’s mother, Denise, and his sister were grievously injured, The Boston Globe reported.
Denise Richard underwent surgery for an injury to her brain, and Martin’s 6-year-old sister lost her leg, CNN affiliate WHDH reported. As of 1 p.m. ET Tuesday, both were still hospitalized, according to WHDH.
The boy’s father, William Richard, is a community leader in the Ashmont section of Dorchester, according to the Globe.
“My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston,” Richard said in a statement Tuesday. “My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries. We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin. We also ask for your patience and for privacy as we work to simultaneously grieve and recover. Thank you.”
After early reports conflicted about whether William Richard ran the marathon, a family spokesperson told CNN Tuesday afternoon that he was a spectator.
Look at that face.
It’s a face of innocence that wants to bring friendship into the world.
A face obliterated by — at this writing — a faceless evil.
But the photo will likely be run for years — a reminder of the innocence, of the body count terrorists of all kinds seek to scare people or governments, or advance an agenda.
The face in the photo and the message will be there for years to remind Americans what the country must steadfastly fight against.
And a reminder of what all of us lost.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.