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Seven First Responders Honored For Courage During Marathon Bombing Manhunt

A group of police and firefighters involved in the 2013 shootout with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects were honored at the White House Wednesday.

Five police officers and two firefighters from Watertown, Massachusetts were awarded the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor. It is the highest national award for courage given to public safety officials.  The medals were presented by Attorney General Eric Holder and Vice President Joe Biden.

" Today we honor you, not just for your bravery, but your professionalism, your commitment and example you give everybody else," said Biden.

The seven Medal of Valor recipients responded to the scene of the firefight with the bombing suspects and helped an MBTA transit officer who had been seriously wounded during the shootout.

The record-setting tenure of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. The 2011 tornado and its recovery that remade the largest city in Western Massachusetts. The fallout from the deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Those are just a few of the thousands and thousands of stories WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill has covered for WAMC in his nearly 17 years with the station.