door, just one way through. time. rooted in pain, but winged on hope. there is a rising and extension of the human spirit, left to its own devices, it's divine design, it will rise. despite anything, despite everything. they are painful steps to take, but we are taking them. and we are learning again to walk without fainting, to run without growing weary, and some have even learned to dance, soaring on wings like eagles. there is a rising, a new season, another race, another beginning. we are humbled by what we have been through and proud of what

it has made us. we must never forget what happened, but we will not be enslaved by the past. it will teach us and lead us boldly into the future, and we will hold our memories gently and with honor just as we honor those we love, those who are gone, but never lost. today we remember crystal campbell, her energy and vest, her adventure and passion, a generosity of spirit, a light that will never fade. we remember lindsay lou, heart and sparkling eyes, music and guilelessness, a welcome dream of a smile that beams forever.

we remember martin richard, tough and competitive. kind and caring, a dorechester kid through and through. and we will remember sean collier, dedicated with honor, trusted and respected, badge 310. we will remember. ♪

♪ i went up to the mountain ♪ because you asked me to ♪ up over the clouds >> you are listening to our live coverage right now of the memorial service that is taking place in boston on this, the anniversary of the boston marathon bombings, this being the boston children's chorus. we're going to take a break. there is much more to get you caught up on, including some developing events in ukraine. i'm del walters in new york. we'll be right back. ♪ ad it now

i'm del walters in new york, this is al jazeera america. we are in boston at this hour watching a moving memorial ceremony taking place, a tribute to those who died one year ago in the boston marathon bombing. this is the boston children's

chorus, singing "up to the mountains" ♪ you loved me so ♪ just over the mountains ♪ ♪ the peaceful valley ♪

[ applause ] that is the boston children's choir, singing "up to

the mountain." erika pitzi you noticed that the former mayor was in the crowd. >> yes, he is really a legend, more than 20 years as mayor. >> that is him now. >> we come here as we did a year ago, the citizens of boston, and what a proud designation that has become. that day and this year have brought forth caring courage, community and common purpose. those qualities have elevated our city, our state, our nation, our world. today it is our privilege at the boston athletic association to join you in paying tribute to those precious lives that were lost, while celebrating the countless lives that were saved. as we do, we are grateful for the strength a resilience of the victim's families, the survivors

and their families. you have inspired us all. on that day a year ago, the very fabric of this community was tested to its core, and that community, our community, didn't just endure, it inspired. only here, only in boston would that combination of capability, and compassion, of professionalism, and poise, decades in the making, be there at the ready in our moment of need. the moment did not create the depth and breadth of that character, it revealed it for what it has always been, boston strong. we see boston strong in the remembrance of the four neighbors whom we lost last april, and the continuing inspiration they and their families bring us daily. we saw boston strong in the

heroism of first responders who rushed into the heart of unknown dangers to save untold lives. we're here to commemorate this moment with us today, the courageous members of engine 33 and ladder 15 who have come to know loss yet again. will all of those first responders please rise so that we can thank you. [ applause ] >> and if you would please

remain standing as i hope everyone we have the honor to recognize will do. we saw boston strong in our medical professionals who poured into world class hospitals with such expertise and distinction and renown that only in this community in the face of such catastrophe could so many lives have been saved. and we owe you our thanks. all of you, please rise. [ applause ] >> and we saw boston strong in the community of marathon volunteers, 10,000 strong this

year, who are the soul of the marathon, and who were transformed in that single moment into first responders who applied turn any indicates and laid comforting hands on trembling shoulders please rise so we can thank you as well. [ applause ] >> and we're grateful to our exceptional city and state employees and officials who coordinated a swift and effective response and who have prepared us to run once more on patriot's day. all of you city and state workers who service us all every day, please rise and accept our

thanks. [ applause ] >> these are heros. thank you all, and please feel free to be seated and rest a little bit. because we have just a little bit ahead of us in the next few days, won't we? a year ago the president of the united states came to this city and said we are all boss tonians, and we have seen what it means to be boston strong. it means to unite in an outpouring of love, be courageous in the face of catastrophe, and born on which an inner and enduring strength,

and above all, we never ever give in to anything. the boston athletic association is proud and grateful and humbled to be part of that tradition, that community, that commitment. monday as runners cross the starting line for the 118th running of the boston marathon, this city crosses a threshold in time, one that connects a future that we embrace with a day and with four neighbors we will always, always remember. next week we will run again, but on this day, in this place, in remembrance and resolve, we gather as citizens of boston, boston strong. [ applause ] >> and that of course is the executive director of the boston athletic association.

this man coming to the stage is a man who became a household name and household face in america. boston's former mayor. he like all of us have grown a little grayer over the last year. we mistook him from the distance. erica, he has the cane. that was what struck so many people. >> absolutely. [ applause ] >> after they caught the second bombing suspect he showed up to speak from the hospital to speak to bostonians. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. [ applause ]

>> thank you very much. vice president biden, governor patrick, major walsh. [ laughter ] >> something has changed. [ laughter ] >> good afternoon. i am so glad to see so many people, so many of you here today, and very blessed to be here, even though we know this day will always be hard, never be easy to gather so close to that finish line or so close to that place where our lives broke apart. it will always be hard to partner all of us to wish there was someplace else. we long to be anywhere but here in this moment 365 days after hate and violence disrupted a

beautiful april day. even though the memories still bring tiers our eyes, our heart aches for those who were lost, it's still a comfort to be here with family and friends who think back to that tragic day. it's an honor to thank and praise the first responders who carried some of you to safety, ease the pain just a little more to shake the hands of the doctors and nurses who stopped the bleeding, closed the wounds, or mend your legs, and saved your lives so you are here with us. in this moment, making the city and world a better place. i know that many of you don't feel like you are and you have struggled to get through the good days and the bad. i know, because so many of you have told me about this year, our first. first birthday without your

beloved son, the first holiday without your daughter, the first july 4th where the fireworks scared you, the first step on a new leg, the first sleep without a nightmare, the first day when you believe that you could live your life in a way that corresponded with your dreams. those words so many of us have used to describe a year of grief and recovery, resilience, courage and strength. those words have even greater meaning now because of what you have endured. what you have survived brings truth to the hemingway's words, the world breaks everyone. and many are strong at the broken place. to the family and friends who will always miss their loved ones, you are strong at this broken place, to the victims who long a journey towards healing

has just begun. you are strong at this broken place. to those who ran through the danger and struggled through the sights and sounds of that day. you too are strong at this broken place. that strength thrives even in the heard aches of today because of you, because of the compassion that took hold of this city. the generosity resides in our people. it's the heart beat of boston. it's a mighty force. in our darkest hour, he [ inaudible ] was put up a new po box. from 50 countries, 190,000 people gave, no one had to ask or make a phone call. no one had to explain the lifelong care you would need. people were ready to give that generosity, helped us stand through bake sales and pizza parties, through penny drives. people gave the tip draw from

restaurant in pittsburgh. they prayed for you. they wrote notes like terry goodwin said it best, she wrote, boston's people are strong, beautiful kind, and the best, you, we, can make it through these hard times. now i know that some of you can't hear me very well, it's not just because of the fancy way i talk -- [ laughter ] >> wise guys, huh? [ laughter ] >> it's because you lost some of your hearing that day, or maybe it's a little bit of both. but lean in if you have to, because i want to hear -- i want you to hear this solemn promise. when the lights are dim, the cameras go away, no that our support and love for you will never waiver. whatever you have to do to recover and carry on, know that the people of boston are right there by yourself. one year ago you came to the

city and stood along a 26.2 mile route to cheer for your loved ones, applaud your friends, to watch in awe as some run by, some in wheelchairs, and others side by side with the blind. you came in to admire the resilience. [ inaudible ] because of you we'll do all of that and more. we will stand with you, remember with you. we'll never nor get that this day means to you. i will never forget. long after our own great races are finished, the people who followed us, who have been - been -- [ audio lost ] -- remember what happened in this broken place, and how your courage and generosity of others

make it one of the strongest most hallowed ground here on earth. this day will always be hard. this place will always be strong, because we gather here today -- grief -- resolve, to stand for the people in the city we love with all of our hearts. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> you are listening to al jazeera america.

this is our live continuing coverage of the boston marathon bombing one year later. you just heard from the mayor, saying this day will always be hard. this is one of those who survived. >> a year ago today we chose to run towards smoke and danger. we chose to utilize our belts and purse straps to create tu turnkates. we chose to offer our hearts to those in despair and our treasures to those in need. we chose to love, and that has made all of the difference. in the days that have followed, we continued to express profound love by sowing the threads of community. we made our city safe again, gave blood, performed and

underwent countless surgeries, and began the long journey of psychological and physical rehabilitation. our hospitals showed why they are the best in the world, not only through their clinical expertise, but by their enormous capacity for compassion. and while many of us here struggled to heal within those hospital walls, a movement coalesced out there our city, state, and country. boston strong a simple phrase with a not so simple meaning became our uniting call. it symbolizes our determination to spread compassion, generosity, unity and pride. it is the firefighter running towards danger and the police officer ensuring our safety. but it's also the quiet moments, individual snapshots of grace.

it's the countless hours our families spent by our bedsides, sometimes in silence, as they offered their love by their presence alone. it's the fellow survivor offering her hospital room to allow a married couple to reunite. it is a private visit from a wounded warrior telling us and showing us that it will get better. it is the movers volunteering their time to help the newly disabled transfer to a new home. it's the department store employee searching for clothing to accommodate medical devices. it's the passer buy who sees the prosthetic leg and nods in solidarity and strength. it's the ribbons displayed on our cruisers, ladder trucks, buses and cars, and certainly when a band of bearded brothers

brings home a championship to a beloved ballpark and its fans. [ applause ] >> we also have heros within our families, a devoted brother, who drove for hours on the day of the marathon with a caring friend to be by his brother's side and serve as his chief of staff. a loving sister who moved across the country to care for her family. parents stricken with fear and overwhelming sadness who found a way to spend day after day in hospitals. extended family giving all they could to support those they love. and couples, both wed and unwed who stay by each other's sides through the emotionaling a goneny of watching someone you love suffer in the beauty of knowing you'll get to this

together, in sickness and in health, never has that vow felt to tangible. we would never wish the devastation and pain we have experienced on any of you. however, we do wish that all of you at some point in your lives feel as loved as we have felt over this last year. it has been the most humbling experience of our lives. we hope you feel all of the emotion we feel we when say take you. to our fellow survivor community, what would we do without each other? we should have never met this way, but we are so grateful for each other. we have shared our despair, sense of loss, and challenges, as well as our hope -- gratitude and triumphs, we'll continue to be there to pick each other up and celebrate milestones for

years to come. most of all we'll cherish the friendships our families have forged with bonds of mutual admiration. and to those who continue to struggle through despair, ongoing medical care and the prospect of heart-wrenching surgical decisions. don't forget for a second that we will be there for you at a moment's notice. we will always remember our guardian angels. lindsay, shawn, crystal, and martin. whether we raise them as our children, new them for years, met them once, or only know them in spirit, we will carry them in our hearts. to their families know that you will in be alone, and that the city stands beside you. we remember those who died at pieces of us, the intellectual charm of lindsay, shawn's

commitment to justice, crystal's infectious child, and the childhood charm of martin. we will choose to think of them not in association with hate, but forever connected to our commitment to peace, peace. that will be their lasting message to us. we all know when historians write about these events they will tell of the utter devastation that was brought upon our families and how four guardian angels came to be. but i also hope they will tell the unfailing compassion and unity that followed. we no longer have to think philosophically about the capacity of the human spirit. it is right here in the city of boston. whether our families have been here for generations or recently called boston home, we know we have written another chapter in a rich history of revolutionary

people, and we take pride in knowing we are part of something much larger than yours. we choose this monday to show the spirit what boston represents through our deeds and dedications. for those of us who ride and run, we will do so for those who are no longer with you. for those of us who will crowd the route, we'll embrace the motivators and emotional catalyst, and for our guardian angels, let them hear us roar. let's show them they live in our bonds of family, friendship, and community. and the infectious spirit we'll kneel on the third monday in april for years to come. i'm so proud to be a bostonian, because i am so proud to be connected toll