“Been a long hard ride. Got a ways to go. But this still the place. That we all call home. –Dierks Bentley
The events this week have certainly changed the lives for all of us living in the New England area. From WKXL’s outstanding coverage, with special editions of New Hampshire Now, both Monday and Friday, to Chris Ryan reporting live from the TD Garden Wednesday night on New Hampshire Sports Night, we tried to give you a front-row seat to the action.
Generally speaking, I don’t consider my job a real job. Sure, I get a paycheck like a real job and I have responsibilities like a real job, but to me, being a reporter, anchor or host has been something I’ve wanted to do my whole life. One of my finer moments this week as a broadcaster was giving you up to the minute information on Friday’s three-hour special edition of New Hampshire Now. Working alongside experts such as Merrimack co. Sheriff Scott Hilliard and WKXL’s Chris Ryan, we brought you news, analysis and eyewitness testimony from one of the scariest acts in the region’s history.
Watching the Bruins’ pregame ceremony with an updated tribute video and another fine rendition of The Star Spangled Banner by 17 thousand people, I can assure you there was hardly a dry eye in the house. Even in the media section in the mezzanine level, where emotions are almost always barred, the compilation of radio hosts, writers, television reporters and team scouts were belting out the anthem as if it was their duty. Hands clapped vigorously and tears flew rampant from almost everyone, myself included.
As the game progressed, the crowd did to, and this became just another game. The chants of “Lets go Bruins” started and the puck was dropped. It is moments like this that make me remember how important all of our armed forces are, our polices officers, our first responders and our good Samaritans are. The New England area, is possibly one of the most proud and patriotic areas in the world. But having been at the scene of the bombings on Monday, at the TD Garden on Wednesday, in the news room on Friday and back at the Garden on Saturday, I learned first-hand that the exact strength I speak of has been tested. It has been tested, and it has prevailed.
Once again, I said my job doesn’t feel like a real job. After all, I’m living a nine year-old’s dream, literally. But over the past six days, I am reminded why I am allowed to live that dream. The people who protect this country and it’s citizens, whether it’s a Navy seal, a member of the Secret Service, a SWAT team officer, a police officer, a sheriff, a school-crossing guard or your elected officials, value and protect our freedom, daily. Remember that everyday when you get upset about that speeding ticket, or the crossing guard who tells you to slow down. Without them and others who protect your freedom and livelihood, you may never have had the opportunity to speed in the first place.
The freedom that allowed this kid from Nashville to cover the nation’s greatest sports region is something that I may take for granted on occasion. Not anymore. The freedom that you have to enjoy your Saturday but supporting the Bruins, the Red Sox or the Revolution is a privilege that not all people around the world are able to experience. As a public addresses announcer in college, I have instructed people to rise and remove their caps for the national anthem countless times. Perhaps I should have taken more pride in that honor. I also, probably like you, hate having to take off my shoes and belt at airport security. Times like this make us remember who we are and why we do what we do. There could never be a more fitting time to be reminded why our football team is called the “New England Patriots”.
The cowardly acts of a few over the last week may have bent an entire region, but we did not break. With the support from their fellow good-hearted friends and neighbors, New England will survive and be stronger than ever. David Ortiz said it best.
