CHEERING ON A FRIEND: Family Mourns Daughter, 29, Killed in Bombing

• 

  April 15, 2013: This undated photo provided by the family shows Krystle Campbell. Campbell, 29, a restaurant manager from Medford, Mass., was among the people killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, in Boston.AP

A 29-year-old restaurant manager has been identified as one of three people killed in the bombing at the Boston Marathon.

Her father says Krystle Campbell, of Medford, Mass., had gone with her best friend to take a picture of the friend's boyfriend crossing the finish line on Monday afternoon.

William Campbell says his daughter, who worked at Jimmy's Steakhouse in nearby Arlington, was "very caring, very loving person, and was daddy's little girl." He says the loss has devastated the family.

"Mr. Campbell said that she certainly was a dream daughter, the daughter that every dream to have and friends of hers said that she was eager about life," Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn said. 

Campbell's friend was seriously injured in the explosion.

Campbell's family told the New York Post that they were initially informed that she had survived the blast. It wasn't until family members arrived at the hospital that they realized the friend who survived the blast had been mistakenly identified as her. 

"They’re just viewing the body now. And we're just devastated,” Liese Reilly, a relative told The Post. “I can’t even begin to understand what just happened.”

An 8-year-old, Martin Richard of Boston, also died. He was at the finish line watching the race with his family. 

Boston University says a graduate student at the school was killed in the bombings

In a statement late Tuesday afternoon, the school said it was not releasing the name or any other information about the student, pending permission from the family.

The statement says the student was with two friends who were watching the race at the finish line, not far from the university's campus. One of the friends, also a grad student at the university, was injured and is at Boston Medical Center in stable condition.

The twin blasts killed at least three people and injured 176 -- including 17 in critical condition, authorities said today.

Click for more from The New York Post.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related Stories

Boston Marathon bombing kills 3, injures over 130

Boy, 8, killed in Boston Marathon attack while cheering for runners

Police ramp up security in major cities after Boston bombings

Massachusetts brothers watching Boston Marathon reportedly each lose a leg

View the original article here

'LIKE A NIGHTMARE':Family Mourns Diplomat, 25, Killed in Afghanistan

• 

  This image made from AP video shows the scene moments after a car bomb exploded in front the PRT, Provincial Reconstruction Team, in Qalat, Zabul province, southern Afghanistan, Saturday, April 6, 2013. Six American troops and civilians and an Afghan doctor were killed in attacks on Saturday in southern and eastern Afghanistan as the U.S. military's top officer began a weekend visit to the country, officials said.(AP Photo via AP video)The Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan –  A young U.S. diplomat killed in an attack in southern Afghanistan was an up-and-coming public servant who loved working directly with Afghan residents, those who knew her said Sunday.

Anne Smedinghoff, a 25-year-old foreign service officer, died Saturday when the group she was traveling with was struck by an explosion in southern Zabul province. They were en route to traveling to donate textbooks to students.

The Chicago-area woman is the first American diplomat to die on the job since last year's attack on the U.S. diplomatic installation in Benghazi, Libya.

Those who knew Smedinghoff described her as a positive, hard-working and dependable young woman.

While a student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, she worked part time for Sam Hopkins, an attorney near campus. He described her as ambitious "but in a wonderfully quiet modest way."

Anne Smedinghoff's parents said in an emailed statement to The Washington Post that their daughter joined the foreign service straight out of college. But she had showed an early interest in foreign affairs and was one of the key organizers of the university's annual Foreign Affairs Symposium in 2008, a weekslong event that brings high-profile speakers to campus.

"She was an exceptional woman," said Hopkins, who kept in touch with Smedinghoff over the years. "Capable, gracious, and she would just rise up to the top."

Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday at a news conference in Turkey that Smedinghoff was "vivacious, smart" and "capable." Smedinghoff had assisted Kerry during a visit to Afghanistan two weeks ago.

Kerry also described Smedinghoff as "a selfless, idealistic woman who woke up yesterday morning and set out to bring textbooks to school children, to bring them knowledge."

Tom and Mary Beth Smedinghoff said that their daughter died doing what she loved.

"Working as a public diplomacy officer, she particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with the Afghan people and was always looking for opportunities to reach out and help to make a difference in the lives of those living in a country ravaged by war," they said in the statement.

Smedinghoff previously served in Venezuela.

Friends also praised her for her charity work. Smedinghoff participated in a 2009 cross-country bike ride for The 4K for Cancer -- part of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults -- according to Hopkins and the group's website.

"She was smiling all the time," Hopkins said.

View the original article here