Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: September 6, 2001
• Invested on: June 28, 2002

On September 3, 1999, Monique Rousseau saved her father-in-law from drowning in the Yukon River, Yukon Territory, after a gust of wind tipped their canoe over, trapping the man underneath, his face submerged in the frigid water. Swimming over to the stern, Ms. Rousseau reached under water to free the man. She managed to pull him out alongside the craft and secure him to the back with a rope. Returning to the front of the canoe, she grabbed a bow line found in her floating gear and tied one end to her waist and the other to the canoe. Battling the swift current, she swam for more than one hour, the overturned canoe and the semiconscious man in tow. Although exhausted and numbed by the cold water when they reached the shore, Ms. Rousseau managed to grab a branch with one hand and pull the victim to safety with the other.