WBUR Oral History Project: Alicia Shambo

Shambo, Alicia (Interviewee)

Guberman, Jayne (Interviewer)
Girdharry, Kristi (Recordist)
McDonough, Ryan (Contributor)

English

December 04, 2013

Sound recording

Interviews
Oral histories (document genres)

Sound Recording

born digital

Countless lives were affected by the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and their aftermath. The WBUR Oral History Project collects stories from individuals whose lives were immediately and irrevocably changed by these events. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of WBUR, our team of oral historians, and the participation of these interview subjects, Our Marathon has tried to ensure that these stories are not forgotten. We believe that these stories matter, and that they demonstrate the ways historical events transform the lives of the people who lived through them. Oral historians Jayne K. Guberman, Ph.D., and Joanna Shea O'Brien conducted the interviews for this project. Oral History Project Manager Kristi Girdharry, Our Marathon Project Co-Director Jim McGrath, and Community Outreach Lead Joanne DeCaro recorded the interviews and provided research assistance and post-interview processing. McGrath and Our Marathon Audio Technician Ryan McDonough provided sound editing and processing for all of the interviews and clips. The opinions and statements expressed in interviews and related content featured in the WBUR Oral History Project do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Our Marathon, WBUR, Northeastern University, or any employees or volunteers affiliated with these institutions and projects. Our Marathon and The WBUR Oral History project make no assertions about the veracity of statements made by participants in this project. Alicia Shambo, a long-time resident of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, is a business woman and mother of three children. A fervent supporter of the US military, Alicia was a hospital corpsman during her four years of active duty in the US Navy and later taught CPR and EMT courses as a reservist. As a resident of Hopkinton, Alicia and her family have always participated in the community activities at the starting point for the Boston Marathon. In 2012, she began working at the finish line handing out mylar blankets to runners. She describes the volunteers' exultation in the "perfect day" for the 2013 race and the emotional singing of the national anthem before they all took their stations. When the first bomb exploded, Alicia ran towards the scene, where she quickly became part of the team in the medical tent. Alicia describes her first contact with Victoria McGrath, a seriously injured Northeastern student, whom she accompanied in the ambulance to Tufts Medical Center. She describes their emotional meeting several days later, as well as the "reunion" orchestrated by The Today Show with the four people who had saved Victoria's life. Alicia vividly describes the eerie scene she encountered after leaving the hospital: empty streets, lack of information, and no cell phone coverage. She describes how she and her friend hitched a ride with an emergency vehicle back to their hotel, where she watched the events on TV, as her phone started to ring with calls from all over the country. Alicia reflects on the impact of these events on her personal life and the ways in which "Boston Strong" helped everyone draw strength together. She found that the knowledge of so many people's support to be a source of healing.

The opinions and statements expressed in interviews and related content featured in the WBUR Oral History Project do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Our Marathon, WBUR, Northeastern University, or any employees or volunteers affiliated with these institutions and projects. Our Marathon and The WBUR Oral History project make no assertions about the veracity of statements made by participants in this project.

The WBUR Oral History Project. Alicia Shambo (Oral History), Jayne Guberman (Oral Historian), Kristi Girdharry (Recorder), Ryan McDonough (Sound Editing and Processing)

Our Marathon The Boston Bombing Digital Archive

Boston Marathon Bombing, Boston, Mass., 2013

Northeastern University Library

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