Has Osvaldo redeemed himself?

From the NY Post:

The Queens man who went from ex-con to hero soldier -- after Gov. David Paterson granted him a surprise Christmas pardon -- is back from Afghanistan, but no closer to fulfilling his dream of being an NYPD cop.

Army Specialist Osvaldo Hernandez, 28, who had served eight months in prison on a gun-possession rap before becoming a paratrooper in Afghanistan, had been issued a "full and unconditional" pardon on Christmas Eve by Paterson.

However, Hernandez just returned from his second tour in Afghanistan, where he supervised a team of machine gunners and was recently promoted to sergeant, but he is no closer to being a cop.

"It's been over five years now serving in the United States Army," he told The Post today in an interview. "I've put my life on the line for this country, but that's something I feel really good about and I'm ready to do it for the NYPD."

Hernandez's lawyer said his NYPD application remains in limbo.

He said he hopes the NYPD will consider his application and allow him to be a cop.

Governor pardons army man for gun charge

From the Daily News:

Gov. David Paterson has pardoned a former Army paratrooper who did time on a felony weapons charge in 2002 so the Queens resident can pursue his dream of becoming a police officer.

Paterson said Osvaldo Hernandez "has demonstrated that individuals can turn their lives around and that we need not let our mistakes define us."

At the age of 20, Hernandez pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree in 2002 and sentenced to a year in prison. He served eight months and enlisted in the Army as soon as he was released and went on to become a decorated specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Hernandez's felony conviction prevented him from being allowed to carry a gun, which scuttled his dream of becoming a member of the NYPD.