This Marine hoisting an American flag just finished his third straight Boston Marathon
Staff Sgt. Jose Luis Sanchez persevered through suboptimal weather to finish another 26.2.
A Marine who lost the lower part of his left leg serving in Afghanistan finished his third straight Boston Marathon on Monday, once again carrying an American flag.
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In 2015, Staff Sgt. Jose Luis Sanchez completed his first marathon in Washington, D.C., four years after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan. Sanchez proceeded to run the Boston Marathon in both 2016 and 2017.
Last year, photos and videos of Sanchez hosting the American flag while running and crossing the finish line went viral.
Wounded #Marine Jose Sanchez finishes the @bostonmarathon. More on Sanchez – https://t.co/5kYyV2JrFu #BostonMarathon pic.twitter.com/uTXTP2O24x
— AndreaWBZ (@AndreaWBZ) April 17, 2017
During the 2018 Boston Marathon, even through Monday’s strong winds and rain, Sanchez carried a flag to the finish line once again.
Retired Marine Staff Sergeant Jose Luis Sanchez.. who lost part of his leg in combat, has finished the #BostonMarathon once again! pic.twitter.com/kwoeHNsUtu
— WBZ | CBS News Boston (@wbz) April 16, 2018
Just as he did at previous Boston Marathons, Sanchez ran in support of the Semper Fi Fund, which is dedicated to “providing urgently needed resources and support for post 9/11 combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.”
At the finish line on Monday, Sanchez told WBZ that the adverse weather conditions were just another battle for racers to overcome.
“You know, it’s just a metaphor of life,” Sanchez said. “It’s never going to be an easy day. It’s never going to be an easy fight. But nonetheless, we’re all here. We’re fighting, we’re relentless, we’re not going to surrender, we’re not going to give up, and here we are, finishing what we started.”
Related: Check out this interview with Sanchez after the 2016 Boston Marathon
Gallery: The Boston Marathon through the years
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