By Kevin Joy, Globe Correspondent, 1/28/2004
Boston Police Officer Scott W. O'Brien feared it would be months before he could speak again after bullets tore through his jaw and arm during an early-morning arrest in Quincy two weeks ago.
But yesterday, just days after being released from Boston Medical Center, where he underwent 10 hours of surgery, he was at City Hall, accepting tickets to the Super Bowl as a gift for his valor. "You always see things like this, but when it happens to you, it's kind of overwhelming," O'Brien said, eyes misting with emotion.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103 surprised O'Brien with a trip package including airfare, hotel accommodations, and game seats for the sold-out match against the Carolina Panthers in Houston Sunday. Mayor Thomas M. Menino gave him a Patriots jersey signed by wide receiver Troy Brown.
With his jaw wired shut and a cast on his arm, O'Brien's words were few, and his hands shook. But he walked without assistance and appeared to be in good spirits. Struggling to enunciate through a jaw laced with reconstructive wires and rubber bands, he quipped that he "won't be doing much shouting" at Sunday's game.
Joe Sheehan, a business agent for Local 103, said the union received the trip package from WBCN 104.1-FM as a reward for frequent advertising. He and business manager Michael Monahan decided to donate the weekend trip to a local citizen. By Sunday, they settled on O'Brien, a resident of Dorchester, where the union is located.
"He was going to Quincy just to hand out a summons and his life was turned around in a minute," Sheehan said. "The poor guy has gone through hell. It's a miracle he's able to go."
Menino echoed similar sentiments and said that despite the New England football stars he was going to cheer on in Houston, O'Brien and his fellow officers "are the real heroes."
"How many times does somebody out there say `thank you' to a police officer? Not very often," Menino said. "This will be a great weekend for him."
O'Brien, 27, is a former Marine and now in the reserves. He is a member of the Police Department's entry and apprehension team. While trying to arrest an armed man hiding in a Quincy attic on Jan. 16, O'Brien was shot twice. The suspect, later identified as Horacio Mays, pleaded not guilty in Quincy District Court Jan. 20 to numerous charges including attempted murder.
Asked if he considered himself heroic, O'Brien said he was simply doing his job. Joined by his fiancee, Emily Eddy, he said he considers himself "extremely lucky" and he takes no moment for granted now.
Eddy, 24, said O'Brien's recovery has gone "exceptionally well and fast" so far and that she will accompany him on the trip. The couple plans to marry in September.
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