Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: June 29, 2010
• Invested on: October 28, 2011

Sheldon Steven Willier, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On June 28, 2009, Sheldon Willier rescued a man from a possible drowning in Lesser Slave Lake, Spruce Point Park, Alberta. The victim and a friend had been fishing when two-meter-high waves flipped their boat. They had been drifting with their overturned craft for nearly three hours when Mr. Willier noticed them from a nearby campsite. He swam a short distance before returning to put on a life jacket. Setting out again, he battled against the high waves and strong current. The intensity of the waves caused Mr. Willier to lose sight of the victims and become disoriented. Fatigued after swimming nearly 100 metres, he finally reached them. One of the men was clinging to the boat, but the second one had disappeared beneath the surface. Mr. Willier grabbed onto the lone survivor and pulled him a good distance to where they met up with Mr. Willier's brother in a rubber dinghy. Exhausted and suffering from hypothermia, they were helped into the vessel and brought to shore. Sadly, the second victim did not survive.