Star of Courage

• Awarded on: September 20, 1996
• Invested on: December 06, 1996

On August 6, 1995, Maj. Sawatzky rescued his cave diving partner at Tobermory, Ontario. The two men had become separated and, after trying desperately to locate him, Maj. Sawatzky went for help. When another diver's rescue efforts were unsuccessful, Maj. Sawatzky dove again into the underwater passages in an attempt to recover the victim from the chilled waters of the spring-fed cave system. The darkness, loose gravel and hazardous narrow passages made progress very difficult. He nonetheless succeeded in finding the victim alive in an air pocket. The man was brought to safety approximately nine hours after he had begun his dive.