During two separate terrorist attacks over a decade apart, this gay couple was photographed in the midst of it all, serving their country and saving lives.
Pedro Velazquez was an NYPD officer when tragedy struck in 2001. While assisting an injured man out of the rubble, a photographer took an iconic picture of him. A proud moment in a devastating situation.
Javier Pagan, is a Boston police officer who was only 20 feet away from the first bomb that went off during the Boston Marathon. He and his fellow officers had only a moment to overcome their fear and assess the situation before rushing to people’s rescue. A photo of him was caught as he jumped into the catastrophe; it was the cover of Sports Illustrated.
These two men were heroes during two separate catastrophes of national proportion. They were both memorialized on film performing their duties. They are also married.
“Not only were we both in two separate terrorist attacks, but there are also pictures that were taken of us that were out there for everyone to see,” Velazquez says in the video. “I was dumbfounded. Really, what are the odds?”
“You’re scared, but you can’t give into it, so you just have to run in there and see what’s going on,” Pagan says, showing how close the bomb was in the photo.
Velazquez, now a TSA inspector, relates how he feared for his spouse’s life during the bombing. The two men work dangerous jobs—and there is photographic evidence of just how dangerous.
“My husband was at the finish line of the marathon when the first bomb went off. […] If he was a couple feet further back, he could have been dead. I face his mortality because he could have been gone from my life… This makes you appreciate what you have.”
Video: TSAHQpublicaffairs/Upworthy
What can one say? Wow! I think I love these guys.
Love this story. Two true heroes.