Boston Police Graduate 'Marathon Class' Cadets
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tuesday was graduation day for dozens of new Boston Police officers.
Their superiors call them the "Marathon Class."
They got an early start on the job after the bombings.
On April 15, Ryan Connolly was dressed as a cadet.
His entire class was glued to the TV - like the rest of the world - watching emergency responders pull victims from the scene.
Soon after, he got a call that his mother was on the injured list.
"I do remember police officers running toward me and running toward my family and I was thinking my son could be here," Michelle Connolly said.
She was cheering on the runners when the bombs went off.
"I sustained a severe concussion and I also had shrapnel," she said.
It wasn't long until her son was by her side at the hospital."We were lucky. We were very lucky. There were a lot of families out there that weren't as lucky as we are," he said.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports
Boston Police Cadets Graduate
On Tuesday, Michelle was back on her feet - proud to call herself a mom of a Boston Police Officer.
It was part of the healing process as her 4-year-old granddaughter Melenda made it official and pinned her dad with a badge.
"Just like my grandfather before me. He did 32 years. I hope I can follow in his shoes," Connolly said.
