Colonel John Mawn to the the 75 newest members of the MSP: "You, like any other human being will stumble and fall ... but society holds you to a higher standard, as it should. You must meet and exceed the highest standards expected of you when you accepted that badge." The Colonel beseeched the graduates to never lose compassion for the people they will encounter throughout their careers, despite - or maybe because — as Troopers "you will have a front row seat to what the poet Robert Burns called 'man's inhumanity to man’ "
During his remarks, Colonel Mawn showed the new Troopers three images on the video screen: Norman Rockwell's famous illustration "The Runaway," for which Trooper Richard Clemens served as the artist's model; Trooper Paul O'Connor holding a suicidal man he had just talked off the edge of the Tobin Bridge; and Trooper Pedro Monteiro comforting a toddler whose parent had suffered a medical emergency at Logan Airport...
"Rockwell didn't paint a Trooper putting handcuffs on someone or getting into a pursuit. He chose to portray a Trooper helping a young boy...
"We can imagine that young man sobbing in Paul's arms. We can also imagine Paul telling the young man it's okay, I got you...”
"Seeing Pedro sharing a book with that tiny child warms my heart...”
"This is your reward. This is the gift for your service and sacrifice. These are the moments when you will know why you accepted the calling."