The penultimate photo of the Boston terror attacks – for me – was this one, snapped by John Tlumacki of the Boston Globe. It’s a sight I’ve seen hundreds of times in 18+ years as a police officer. Cops rushing toward the chaos instead of away from it. LDIV mentioned this in Monday’s post on the attacks, and it got me thinking. What kind of lunatic does something like this?

We do. The first responders.

The bravery (or, stupidity, if you will) of running toward gunfire or into a burning building is not a natural response. For most of us, it has to be learned. Then it becomes ingrained. Eventually, it becomes instinctual.

I’ve run toward gunfire more often than I can remember. I’ve pulled people out of wrecked vehicles, and once ran into a burning building (admittedly, a very stupid act) because a witness told me there was an elderly man on the first floor. These actions don’t make me brave. They don’t make me a hero. They make me just another ordinary guy who is pretty good at his job.

When those bombs went off, these Boston cops didn’t think, “Okay, it’s hero time.” They thought, “It’s time to go to work.” They (alongside firefighters, paramedics, some soldiers, and a few remarkable citizens) sacrificed their safety to help others.

You don’t do it for fame, or the adrenaline rush. You certainly don’t do it for the money. You do it because that’s the job. You respond, you help, and you make you go home at the end of the day.