Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: February 28, 2000
• Invested on: December 08, 2000

Marc-André Allard, M.B.
Dany Ratté, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On July 15, 1997, Marc-André Allard and Dany Ratté saved three young men from drowning at Cavendish Beach, Prince Edward Island. From the beach, Messrs. Allard and Ratté saw swimmers waving for help in the distance. The swimmers were caught in the current and were being carried out to sea. They immediately entered the turbulent waters and fought against enormous waves until they reached the victims, who had managed to find a sandbar some 75 metres from shore. While encouraging one of the young men to swim back to shore, Messrs. Allard and Ratté grabbed the other two, tried to calm their panic and set out again, keeping the men's heads above water. When they approached the shore, others lent the exhausted rescuers a hand in getting the three victims out of the water, administering first aid and treating them for shock and hypothermia.