Courtesy Photo | On Marathon Monday 2019, amidst the flow of thousands of runners focusing on crossing...... read more read more
BOSTON – In 2015, Eric Charette had just moved to Boston and was still under its spell. What solidified that notion was his first brush with the Boston Marathon; the way the entire metropolis grinds to a halt to celebrate these ordinary runners doing the extraordinary.
“That mystique of Boston, with all of its awesomeness. It was Marathon Monday and we went to the Red Sox Game. When we came out of the game, we were watching the runners and cheering them on,” said Capt. Eric Charette, a field artillery officer with the 101st Field Artillery, Massachusetts National Guard and full-time social worker for the Department of Veterans Affairs. “I told my buddy, I’m doing this, I’m stopping at no length to get into this.”
It took some effort, but he did. He understands the romanticism that comes with joining the storied race and the need to see it through.
On Marathon Monday 2019, amidst the flow of thousands of runners focusing on crossing the finish line at Copley Square, two Massachusetts National Guard soldiers could be seen aiding a fatigued racer, who had traveled from Europe to compete, through the final stretch of the Boston Marathon.
“She probably flew all the way here to do this. I know as a runner, come hell or high water, you’re going to cross that finish line. That’s a runner’s mentality. I’m going to finish or die trying…” chuckling he adds. “From my own experience at least, it is,”
“When I was coming around the corner, I was tired and starting to cramp up, and I could see her. All these people were running past her. Her body was just tilted to the side while she was running, and I thought, well maybe I should keep a little eye on her,” Charette said.
His experience as a runner and soldier told him that it might be time to intervene.
“I’ve been through the trainings where people have been heat casualties, so I know how to identify it,” he continued.
He recognized the situation was approaching the potentially dangerous, so he approached the runner to offer assistance.
“When I got to her, she knew her name, she said what she wanted to do, and that was finish the race,” Charette said.
Charette started walking with the distressed marathoner as best as he could. Having also just trekked the majority of the 26.2-mile route, he was also feeling the distance. That’s when he was joined by another soldier, Sgt. Luis Leon-Sobenis, a medic with the 101st Regional Training Institute, Massachusetts National Guard.
“It’s been over a quarter mile I’ve been walking with this woman, I’m about to fall out myself, walking with all this extra weight on me,” Charette said. “Then he saw me, and he came running over, and asked, ‘hey Sir, do you need help?’ and started helping out, and I was so thankful for him. Because I don’t think I would have finished.”
“I could see Capt. Charette carrying a female runner. That’s when I thought, let me help my comrade, and he was telling me, ‘hey my legs are really hurting, let’s finish this,’” Leon-Sobenis said.
With the two soldiers working together to even the weight, the remaining distance was more manageable, but not easy.
“She kept closing her eyes, and shaking her legs, trying to run,” said Leon-Sobenis. “Once we arrived at the finish line there was a wheel chair waiting for her, and we handed her to the medical personnel.”
“We were just doing our jobs. Not only because we were wearing the uniform,” Leon-Sobenis continued. “They were struggling. As a medic I had to ask ‘Are you ok? Can you keep going?’ As a soldier I feel like that’s also one of our jobs, take care of the community, to take care of our fellow Americans, and all of us, not only US citizens, it’s the people around us, and if they need our help, we run to do that.”
As the video and photos made their way online, people began reaching out to the soldiers.
“Right after, at the end, I had to gather myself, and almost passed out at one point, too,” Charette said. “Then after that, the text messages and Facebook wall started flooding with messages as soon as it came out. ‘Eric this is you!?’”
With this moment of fame there has also come introspection.
“I’ve been thinking about it, because my wife keeps calling me a hero. But like, I’m no hero. I’m just helping. That’s what we do…” Leon-Sobenis said “I feel like you can compare life with a marathon. It’s this long-distance thing. Life is hard. Sometimes when you’re trying to achieve your goals you forget about helping people who are next to you. Because you’re so focused, you get tunnel vision… I need to do this; I need to accomplish this… You forget to help people that are around you. You should sometimes take a minute and stop, take a break and help. You never know when you’re going to be there too. When you’re going to be the one needing help.”
| Date Taken: | 04.19.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2019 14:36 |
| Story ID: | 318846 |
| Location: | BOSTON, MA, US |
| Web Views: | 170 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Massachusetts National Guard Soldiers Aid Boston Marathon Runner, by Alfred Tripolone, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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