WATERTOWN, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Three Watertown police officers were honored Friday for their bravery during the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers.
Friday in Watertown, US senators, members of Congress and the US Attorney gathered to present the three officers with the law enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery. Our cameras were there as three of the first officers on scene at the Watertown shootout, Sergeant John Maclellan, Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese, and Officer Joseph Reynolds, were awarded the badge.
Pugliese, Maclellan, and Reynolds continued to fight while bullets rained down on them and while bombs were thrown at them by the Tsarnaev brothers. Retired Chief Ed Deveau set the chilling scene of how Reynolds was the first officer there, how Maclellan, the supervisor that night showed up to find a bullet whizzing by his head and Pugliese, a firearms instructor, all lived through the horrifying scene.
"It's very, very humbling. I didn't take this job for public recognition or anything or to receive medals," Pugliese said.
Pugliese's wife shared a picture of him, which is attached to this post, to show how close the bullets came.
"I have a picture of me with all the bullet holes behind the house where I was standing, and you look at that, and you see how close you came to death," he said.
They're grateful, and hesitant to take credit.
"Officer Reynolds and Sgt. Pugliese both saved my life that night doing different things they did," Maclellan said.