{"id":548223,"date":"2021-06-01T13:21:10","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T17:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=548223"},"modified":"2021-06-01T13:21:12","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T17:21:12","slug":"heroic-sergeant-who-tackled-boston-marathon-bomber-retires-gives-advice-to-young-officers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heroic-sergeant-who-tackled-boston-marathon-bomber-retires-gives-advice-to-young-officers\/","title":{"rendered":"Heroic Sergeant Who Tackled Boston Marathon Bomber Retires, Gives Advice To Young Officers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fheroic-sergeant-who-tackled-boston-marathon-bomber-retires-gives-advice-to-young-officers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=548223&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3D7FCA7D-10C1-425F-A06E-5C86DF4A0906_1_201_a.jpeg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">Watertown Police Sergeant Jeff Pugliese, the officer known for tackling the Boston marathon bomber to the ground, retired from the force after 41 years.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Pugliese discussed the important role of police work and how much he loved his job. His retirement is a mandatory one, as Massachusetts requires police officers to retire at the end of the month in which they reach 65 years of age.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cI look forward to going to work,\u201d he told <a href=\"https:\/\/boston.cbslocal.com\/2021\/05\/31\/watertown-police-sergeant-jeff-pugliese-retires-41-years-boston-marathon-tamerlan-tsarnaev\/\"><span class=\"s1\">WBZ-TV<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting and you get to help a lot of people\u2026It\u2019s incredible.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">He said policing is \u201cthe finest profession in the world to have.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cHe can\u2019t work anymore as a police officer. It\u2019s mandatory retirement. So it is what it is,\u201d his wife, Connie, said. \u201cIt will be great to have him home more often. It\u2019s important that he\u2019s happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Pugliese grew up in Watertown where his father was a Watertown Police detective. He said, \u201cI knew I wanted to do this when I was about 16 years old. I decided I wanted to be a police officer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Pugliese enlisted in the United States Army at age 17, entering the service when he was 18 years old. He served as a military police officer and was stationed in Germany where he met his wife. They later moved to Massachusetts together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Pugliese says that the day he got the call that he would be appointed as a police officer was the most exciting day of his career, per the <a href=\"https:\/\/boston.cbslocal.com\/2021\/05\/31\/watertown-police-sergeant-jeff-pugliese-retires-41-years-boston-marathon-tamerlan-tsarnaev\/\">local outlet.<\/a> It would be almost 34 years later that he\u2019d become a national hero when he assisted in taking down two terrorists.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The outlet reported that soon after the suspects of the Boston Marathon Bombing \u201csped into Watertown in a stolen SUV (and after killing MIT Police Officer Sean Collier), Pugliese found himself face-to-face with [one of the brothers].\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cWe were just six feet, maybe seven feet apart. The only thing separating us was a four-foot chain link fence. We were exchanging gun fire and his gun, now we know it ran out of ammunition but, at the time we didn\u2019t know if it jammed,\u201d he said. \u201cHe stopped. He literally took the gun, looked at me, we made eye contact, and then he threw the gun at me and hit me in the shoulder with it. I holstered up and chased after him and tackled him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">One of the brothers then raced toward Pugliese and two other law enforcement officers in an SUV. Pugliese pulled the other suspect to save him from getting hit by the car.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cI felt the breeze of that car go by my face. It missed my face by inches,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The brother in the car ran over his older brother, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cIt does have an affect on you,\u201d Pugliese said. \u201cYou think how lucky you were to survive it. It\u2019s just very difficult to put into words.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>WBZ-TV reported:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"12\">\n<p><em>He says policing has changed dramatically over the course of his career. More social work on the job, more domestic violence situations (physical and verbal) and a smaller Watertown PD staff.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>But what has not changed is Pugliese\u2019s sense of duty, his pride and his sense of connection to the community. He says he will miss driving around and talking with people and the camaraderie at Watertown PD.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cHe received a Congressional Badge of Bravery for his heroic work during the Marathon bombing,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcvb.com\/article\/best-tv-brands\/34534070\"><span class=\"s1\">said<\/span><\/a> Watertown police Chief Michael Lawn. \u201cHe also received the Trooper George Hanna Medal of Honor, which is the highest honor you can receive in Massachusetts in the police field.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">On <a href=\"https:\/\/obamawhitehouse.archives.gov\/realitycheck\/the-press-office\/2015\/02\/11\/vice-president-biden-host-medal-valor-ceremony-attorney-general-holder\"><span class=\"s1\">February 11, 2015<\/span><\/a>, then-Vice President Joe Biden hosted a Medal of Valor ceremony with then-Attorney General Eric Holder to honor several members of law enforcement, including Pugliese.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Pugliese <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcvb.com\/article\/watertown-police-sgt-jeffrey-pugliese-standoff-hero-retires\/36587588\"><span class=\"s1\">told<\/span><\/a> WCVB, \u201cThe best part of being a police officer is getting out there and helping people, saving lives,\u201d adding, \u201cIt\u2019s because of all these police officers \u2013 not just in Watertown, but everywhere in the world \u2013 people sleep soundly in their beds at night because there are police officers willing to sacrifice their lives for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The retirement celebration included a video message from Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons, who portrayed Pugliese in the 2016 film \u201cPatriots Day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cI\u2019m the only guy in Hollywood good looking enough to portray you on screen,\u201d Simmons <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ri-state-wire-boston-eedca3b5e88eaaf0fe581ba944bf93f9\"><span class=\"s1\">said<\/span><\/a> in the video. \u201cThank you for teaching me how to shoot a gun and teaching me all kinds of things about the ropes of police work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Pugliese was asked what advice he would give to younger law enforcement officers. Without hesitating, he answered, \u201cBe proud of the profession. Don\u2019t dishonor the uniform. You\u2019re there to help people, not hurt people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cI love this profession. I really do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/span><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><span>member<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watertown Police Sergeant Jeff Pugliese, the officer known for tackling the Boston marathon bomber to the ground, retired from the force after 41 years.\u00a0Pugliese discussed the important role of police &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2278781,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3D7FCA7D-10C1-425F-A06E-5C86DF4A0906_1_201_a.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Heroic Sergeant Who Tackled Boston Marathon Bomber Retires, Gives Advice To Young Officers","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-548223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3D7FCA7D-10C1-425F-A06E-5C86DF4A0906_1_201_a.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Heroic Sergeant Who Tackled Boston Marathon Bomber Retires, Gives Advice To Young Officers","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=548223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2278781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=548223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=548223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=548223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}