Near the finish line of the iconic Boston Marathon, two explosives were detonated among the crowd on Monday April 15, leaving three dead and many others horribly injured.

Following a lengthy manhunt on Friday, which shut down transit and forced a shelter-in-place order throughout Watertown, Mass., 19-year-old suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was apprehended, while his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev died following a series of bloody shootouts with law enforcement.

In spite of the violent pursuit and the trigger-happy reporting of many mainstream news outlets, the remarkable aspect of this story came from the people of Boston who rose to the occasion heroically in many documented cases.

Though the true motives of the suspects are still largely unknown, if their goal was to sabotage or undercut the American spirit, the attack was a resounding failure.

According to a CNN article by Alan Duke, 52-year-old Carlos Arredondo was seen helping police and firefighters pry open a fence for emergency responders to reach those who were wounded on the sidewalk.

Arredondo helped a young man who was bleeding from severe leg wounds: “I just concentrated on that young man and tied him up, his legs, and talked to him. I let him know the ambulance is on the way, that it’s OK.”

After twenty-six punishing miles and a traumatic explosion, Michael Krumboltz of Yahoo News reports that “Some runners who crossed the finish line continued running to Massachusetts General Hospital to donate blood.”

The outpouring of support from the people of Boston immediately following the attack was so profound and overwhelming that The American Red Cross was forced to turn donors away, reporting via Twitter “Thanks to generosity of volunteer blood donors there is currently enough blood on the shelves to meet demand.”

Undaunted fans of Boston sports also sang their way into the spotlight by “…raising their voices in unison to deliver a moving rendition of the national anthem.” Chris Greenberg of the Huffington Post reported.

In the wake of this unspeakable tragedy and the frightful aftermath, it’s important to remember that the true target of this attack — the enduring and indomitable American spirit — will remain unassailable. Its the same generosity and kindness that urged bystanders to rush toward the blasts and try to help victims.

Though it may be frightening to know the lengths that some will go to oppose and inflict harm on the American way of life, the heroic and courageous outpouring of support for victims emphasizes what is enduring and true. At their core, most people are caring and good. In moments of crisis, we all band together and look to do what we can to help. That fact will never change.