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Governor General announces 13 Decorations for BraverySeptember 21, 2006 OTTAWA — Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced today the awarding of 13 Decorations for Bravery. Recipients will be invited to receive their decorations at a ceremony to be held at Rideau Hall at a later date. On the recommendation of the Canadian Decorations Advisory Committee (Bravery), the Governor General has awarded Medals of Bravery to the following recipients: Medal of Bravery
The citations for the recipients are attached. The Decorations for Bravery were established in 1972 as part of the Canadian Honours System. The Cross of Valour is awarded for acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril. The Star of Courage is awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril. The Medal of Bravery is awarded for acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances. -30-
Media information Public information The Chancellery of Honours 613-993-2569 or 1-800-465-6890 CITATIONS Patrizio Bartolozzi, M.B., Calgary, Alberta On February 24, 2005, Patrizio Bartolozzi rescued a nine-year-old boy from drowning in the North Saskatchewan River, in Edmonton, Alberta. Hearing the child’s cries for help, Mr. Bartolozzi quickly ran along the river until he reached a spot where the boy was being swept closer to shore. Mr. Bartolozzi pulled off his coat and, in spite of the thin ice surface shifting beneath him, crawled to within a few metres of the panic-stricken child. As he neared the open water, he flung a corner of his jacket to the boy who managed to grab hold of it. Using all his strength, Mr. Bartolozzi then hauled the victim out of the frigid water and carried him a distance of 400 metres before collapsing from exhaustion. Luc Coutu, M.B., Lindsay, Ontario In the early hours of July 20, 2005, Luc Coutu and Peggy McIntyre risked their lives when they confronted an armed intruder who had shot Ms. McIntyre’s friend in Lindsay, Ontario. Awakened by screams and gunshots, Mr. Coutu immediately ran to the neighbouring house to investigate. As he reached the driveway, he saw Ms. McIntyre carrying a rifle that she had wrestled away from the shooter. She then secured the gun by placing it in the trunk of her car. While she went back inside the house to care for her severely wounded friend, Mr. Coutu came face to face with the gunman who got another firearm from his truck. Without any concern for his own safety, Mr. Coutu entered the house, closed and locked all the doors, preventing the enraged assailant from coming back in. He then guided the women to a safe area of the house where he provided first aid to the injured victim. Bruce M. Fitzsimmons, M.B., Union, Ontario On January 4, 2005, Bruce Fitzsimmons rescued a man from a car that had caught fire near Cambridge, Ontario. Unsure as to whether the driver had escaped the blaze, Mr. Fitzsimmons and another motorist attempted—without success—to put the fire out. After struggling with locked doors, Mr. Fitzsimmons used a fire extinguisher to break the passenger window. He then reached inside the car and groped around through the heavy smoke until he felt the unresponsive victim, but was driven back by the heat and flames. Undeterred, he climbed into the vehicle, released the victim’s seat belt and pulled him out and away from the blaze. He then returned to the vehicle and entered a third time to check for other possible occupants. Richard Earl Hearns, M.B., Welland, Ontario On July 29, 2004, Richard Hearns saved two people from a fiery death in Welland, Ontario. Mr. Hearns was in his living room when he noticed that the adjoining townhouse was ablaze. He immediately ran to the scene and, after trying unsuccessfully to alert his neighbours to the fire, he kicked the locked door open before running upstairs to search for the occupants. When he opened the door to a bedroom that was almost entirely engulfed in flames, a wall of toxic smoke erupted and activated the fire detector . This woke one man who came out of his bedroom as Mr. Hearns was assisting another tenant out of his bedroom. In complete darkness and gasping for air, Mr. Hearns then guided both men down the stairs and outside to safety. Michel Jalbert, M.B. (posthumous), Saint-Eustache, Quebec On July 29, 2005, Michel Jalbert lost his life while attempting to save his nine-year-old son from drowning in the Rivière Rouge, in L’Annonciation, Quebec. The victim and his children were swimming some eight metres from shore when they were suddenly carried downstream toward a deep trench. Fighting the strong current, two of the children headed for shore while their younger brother drifted out toward powerful eddies. Seeing his son’s predicament, Mr. Jalbert swam to the struggling boy and, with failing strength, pushed him toward shore while shouting at his wife to come and assist them. Ms. Lavoie immediately dove in, brought the nearest victims back to the water’s edge, then returned for the boy and pulled him to safety. Tragically, Mr. Jalbert succumbed to exhaustion and, despite Ms. Lavoie’s best efforts, could not be saved. Azzedine Lahrichi, M.B. (posthumous), Montreal, Quebec On June 6, 2004, Azzedine Lahrichi died trying to rescue his son from drowning in the Rivière des Prairies, in Montreal, Quebec. Mr. Lahrichi was fishing at the water’s edge with his son when the youngster fell into the water, close to a giant culvert. Mr. Lahrichi immediately jumped in after him but was swept downstream by the swift current. Seeing Mr. Lahrichi’s predicament, Mr. Luca dove in the turbulent water, swam some 30 metres toward the victims. He managed to grab hold of the boy but the swift current propelled them into a powerful eddy and dragged them under the surface several times. Although weakened by his efforts, Mr. Luca succeeded in pulling out of the backwash. With the boy in tow, he fought his way back until they were able to touch bottom. Sadly, Mr. Lahrichi, who had disappeared under the surface, could not be saved. Ronald Clarence O’Neill, M.B., Cambridge, Ontario On June 17, 2005, Ronald O’Neill put himself at great risk when he saved a man from being mauled to death by his own dog in Cambridge, Ontario. Mr. O’Neill was driving home when he spotted the 80-pound pitbull tearing at the man’s arm and upper body as he lay on the side of the road. Hearing the victim’s call for help, Mr. O’Neill stopped his vehicle and, without regard for his own safety, engaged the attacking animal, punching and kicking it several times in the head until it released the seriously injured man. The dog suddenly turned on Mr. O’Neill, who managed to fend it off. While keeping the growling animal at bay, he then carried the victim to the safety of his truck. The police arrived moments later and were eventually forced to shoot the dog. Justin Don Pierro, M.B., Cache Creek, British Columbia On July 17, 2005, Justin Pierro rescued a 12-year-old boy from drowning in the Thompson River, at the junction of the Bonaparte River, in Ashcroft, British Columbia. While fishing with friends, Mr. Pierro noticed the panicked boy struggling in the middle of the fast-moving river, caught in a back eddy. When he saw the boy going under for the second time, Mr. Pierro jumped into the water and swam to him, some 25 metres out. In spite of the overwhelming force of the current dragging them down, he managed to push the victim out of the strong whirlpool and, although exhausted by his efforts, got out on his own. He was then able to bring the child back to shore, where others provided assistance.
On January 17, 2005, while vacationing in the Dominican Republic, Eric Stenstrom rescued a man who was unable to escape the pull of a strong undertow at Playa Grande. Mr. Stenstrom had just entered the water when he heard the victim’s cries for help. After first instructing the man to swim toward him—to no avail—Mr. Stenstrom fought the pounding surf until he reached his side. Battling the three-metre waves that crashed over them, he struggled to keep the man’s head above water, repeatedly submerging his own body to push the victim to the surface. Making slow progress against the powerful riptide pulling them under, he managed to bring the man closer to shore, where others helped them out of the water. Kevin Anthony Venn, M.B., Richmond, British Columbia On July 31, 2004, in Richmond, British Columbia, Kevin Venn was savagely attacked while coming to the aid of a woman who was being harassed by her boyfriend. Mr. Venn was alerted to the screams of the woman while working at a nearby gas station and rushed to her aid. Although Mr. Venn planned to calmly intervene, the assailant turned on him, smashed a drinking glass in his face and savagely beat him before fleeing the scene. Dazed and in pain, Mr. Venn dragged himself more than a kilometre away before police found him an hour later. While the woman was saved from being assaulted, Mr. Venn suffered deep facial lacerations and severe head injuries as a result of his valiant efforts.
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