Decorations for Bravery Ceremony

The Decorations for Bravery were created in 1972. They recognize people who risk their lives and choose to defy their own instinct of survival to try to save a loved one or a perfect stranger whose life is in immediate danger.

On October 12, 2007, Major William Green, M.B., C.D., Warrant Officer Shaun Spence, M.B., C.D., Sergeant Joseph Penman, M.B., Roland Bouliane, M.B., and Abebe Yohannes, M.B., rescued two people who were trapped inside burning vehicles, in Headingly, Manitoba. The men tried frantically to put out the fire inside one vehicle, but the flames spread quickly and the dark smoke made it difficult to see inside. Major Green broke the rear window, pulled a little girl from the back seat and brought her to safety. Constable Alfred Lavallee, M.B., C.D., and the other rescuers again tried desperately to reach the two other victims inside, but were driven back by the heat and flames. Meanwhile, Blair Hockin, M.B., Hermann Zarbl, M.B., and Master Warrant Officer Hamish Seggie, M.B., C.D., ripped out parts of the dash on the second vehicle to pull out the driver, who was trapped beneath the debris. They removed the victim, moments before the vehicle became engulfed.

On December 8, 2005, Ottawa police constables Sean Ralph, M.B., and Alain Rochette, M.B. (pictured), risked their lives in an effort to rescue a woman who was being stabbed by a man armed with a hunting knife, in Ottawa, Ontario. When the officers arrived, the attacker grabbed the victim, dragged her inside her basement apartment and locked the door. After numerous attempts to break down the heavy door, the constables succeeded in kicking out a small opening at the bottom of it. Uncertain of what they would encounter on the other side, they crawled into the dark apartment. They spotted the aggressor, who finally responded to the officers’ commands and surrendered his weapon. Sadly, the victim did not survive. Constable Ralph received his decoration at a previous ceremony.

On August 14, 2008, Leading Seaman Robert Binder, M.B., Master Corporal David King, M.B., C.D., and Leading Seaman Jaret McQueen, M.B. (pictured), rescued a man from a submerged vehicle, in Esquimalt, British Columbia. Upon hearing the crash of the vehicle—which was then propelled into the waters of Lang Cove, at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt—Leading Seaman Binder and Master Corporal King entered the murky waters to reach the vehicle. After repeated efforts, they extracted the unconscious man from the vehicle, brought him back to shore and began CPR. Master Corporal King and Able Seaman McQueen dived numerous times to the vehicle to search for other possible victims. Only once the vehicle was pulled out of the water did they find a deceased woman inside. The decorations awarded to Leading Seaman Binder and Master Corporal King were presented at a previous ceremony.

On February 26, 2009, Tim Kautaq, M.B., rescued several people from a burning house, in Hall Beach, Nunavut. Mr. Kautaq was walking by the house when he heard one of the victims yelling for help. The main floor of the two-storey house was completely engulfed in flames when he entered the residence. Unable to breathe, Mr. Kautaq was forced out of the house, but re-entered when he heard a child crying inside. Although the smoke made it difficult to see and breathe, the rescuer grabbed the badly burnt boy and brought him outside. From the doorway, Mr. Kautaq called out to three more victims who were unable to find their way out and guided them towards him. Mr. Kautaq then ran inside the house, one final time, to pull the last child to safety.

On July 7, 2006, RCMP Constable Michelle Howey, M.B., risked her life in an attempt to rescue two wounded colleagues, near Mildred, Saskatchewan. The three constables were in pursuit of an armed man when the lead police vehicle finally rammed into the suspect’s truck. As Constable Howey caught up with them in her own vehicle, the suspect shot at her, barely missing her, and fled when she returned fire. Constable Howey then left the safety of her vehicle to check on her colleagues, who had both been shot by the man. Unsure if the gunman was still nearby, and unable to pull one of the victims to safety, she called for assistance. The fugitive was apprehended after an extensive manhunt. Sadly, the two injured constables did not survive.

On November 19, 2008, military search and rescue technicians Sergeant André Hotton, M.B. (in the background), and Master Corporal Julien Gauthier, M.B. (in the foreground), rescued three people from a sinking barge, off the coast of Nova Scotia. Responding to a distress call stating that the barge was in trouble in heavy seas, a military helicopter was sent to the site to evacuate the people on board. After several failed rescue attempts, Sergeant Hotton was lowered a distance away from the vessel where he signalled for one victim to swim out to him so that he could be hoisted up to the aircraft. Although advised by the air base that the rescue operation should cease because of low fuel and approaching darkness, the pilot and crew opted to continue with the rescue. Sergeant Hotton was again lowered and was hoisted up with one more victim. Master Corporal Gauthier was then lowered down and completed the rescue of the last victim. The entire rescue operation took approximately one hour to complete, and the barge capsized shortly afterwards. This is the second Decoration for Bravery awarded to Sergeant Hotton.

On January 31, 2009, 14-year-old Scott Borlase, M.B., was instrumental in keeping his sister safe during a snowstorm on Lake Winnipeg, in Manitoba. Scott, his 11-year-old sister, and their father had started their snowmobile outing on a clear morning, but by early afternoon the weather had changed. They lost sight of the marked trail due to the severe winds and heavy snowfall. At one point, Scott’s father got off the snowmobile and collapsed to the ground. Unable to find a pulse, Scott made the decision to go for help with his sister. In the blinding storm, Scott drove in a straight line hoping to eventually reach the shoreline. Once at the shore, Scott was able to use his cell phone to call 911 and provide directions to their location. He brought his sister into a bush area away from the biting wind, and used a solar blanket to keep them warm until help finally arrived several hours later. Another search party located his father who, sadly, did not survive.

On November 22, 2005, Miranda Suggitt, S.C., then 11 years old, risked her life to prevent her mother from being shot. During the evening, Miranda’s father became intoxicated and violent, threatening her mother with a rifle. The rifle went off, missing the woman, who quickly ran outside. Miranda’s father followed his wife and pointed the weapon at her. Without any regard for her own life, Miranda stepped between the two and begged her father not to shoot. He yelled at her to move, but she stood her ground until others helped to take the rifle away and hold him until the police arrived. Through her actions, Miranda showed great courage and prevented a terrible tragedy.

We live in a culture of heroes. Fictional heroes, with powers and skills too numerous to mention, leap from books to movies to TV. Our children grow up wanting to fly like Superman or battle villains like Spider-Man. But it is the real-life heroes, the ones who rush headlong into danger with nothing but their wits, ingenuity and determination, who truly make a difference. We see it in our Canadian Forces, we see it in our police, paramedic and fire services, and we see it in ordinary Canadians who take it upon themselves to change the world. All of you here are inspirations to your communities."