August 25, 2008
OTTAWA-Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced today the awarding of four Stars of Courage and 49 Medals of Bravery. The recipients will be invited to receive their decorations at a ceremony to be held at Rideau Hall at a later date.
On the recommendation of the Canadian Decorations Advisory Committee (Bravery), the Governor General has awarded Decorations for Bravery to the following recipients:
Star of Courage
| Recipients |
| RCMP Constable Timothy Dunlap, S.C. |
Airdrie, Alta. |
| Calgary Police Sergeant Paul David Phee, S.C. |
Balzac, Alta. |
| RCMP Constable Guy Armand Raes, S.C. |
Airdrie, Alta. |
| James Alexander Santos, S.C. |
Montréal, Que. |
Medal of Bravery
| Recipients |
| Sony Anctil, M.B. |
Montréal, Que. |
| Constable Marco Barcarolo, M.B. |
Montréal, Que. |
| Wesley Eugene Belland, M.B. |
Fort St. John, B.C. |
| Allan Dale Bennett, M.B. |
Edson, Alta. |
| Constable Martin Bouchard, M.B. |
Brossard, Que. |
| Aaron Buffett, M.B. |
Eastern Passage, N.S. |
| Andrew Cartwright, M.B. |
Banff, Alta. |
| Richard K. Colbourne, M.B. |
Edmonton, Alta. |
| Philip Joseph Comeau, M.B. |
Amherst, N.S. |
| Léonard Corbeil, M.B. (posthumous) |
Québec, Que. |
| Constable Denis Côté, M.B. |
Montréal, Que. |
| Master-Corporal Jonas Denechezhe, M.B. |
Lac Brochet, Man. |
| Constable Geneviève Descôteaux, M.B. |
Verdun, Que. |
| Constable Alain Ibrahim Diallo, M.B. |
Montréal, Que. |
| Sarto Duguay, M.B. |
Montréal, Que. |
| Constable Catherine Dumas, M.B. |
Mascouche, Que. |
| Constable Carl Dussault, M.B. |
Deux-Montagnaes, Que. |
| Katayoun (Katti) Eslah, M.B. |
Egbert, Ont. |
| Brandon Fudge, M.B. |
Notre-Dame, N.B. |
| Harold Galliford, M.B. |
Jarvie, Alta. |
| Marc-Olivier Girard, M.B. |
Newport, Que. |
| Mike Giroux, M.B. |
Calgary, Alta. |
| Ontario Provincial Police Constable Walter Erik Howells, M.B. |
Thunder Bay, Ont. |
| Constable Henri-Louis Huot, M.B. |
Laval, Que. |
| Aaron Alvin Karton, M.B. |
Red Deer, Alta. |
| Joseph Francis Kretschmer, M.B. |
Kelvington, Sask. |
| Stéphane Laplante, M.B. |
Saint-Eustache,Que. |
| Denis Lecuyer, M.B. |
Ottawa, Ont. |
| Lyne Lévesque, M.B. |
Port-Daniel-Gascons, Que. |
| John Lichtenwald, M.B. |
West Vancouver, B.C. |
| Mark Timothy McKay, M.B. |
Calgary, Alta. |
| Edwin Norbert Merasty, M.B. |
Air Ronge, Sask. |
| Hussam Mohamed Meshmesha, M.B. (posthumous) |
Egypt |
| Yves Morin, M.B. |
Notre-Dame de l'Île-Perrot, Que. |
| Floyd Morris, M.B. |
Advocate Harbour, N.S. |
| Vincent Pascale, M.B., C.D. |
Longueuil, Que. |
| Richard K. Randall, M.B. |
Red Deer, Alta. |
| Joseph Eugene Stanley Rucchin, M.B. |
Enoch, Alta. |
| Ronald Savill, M.B. (deceased) |
High Prairie, Alta. |
| Tommy Servant Lantin, M.B. |
Pabos-Mills, Que. |
| Mohamed Rashed Shaban, M.B. |
Houston, Texas, U.S.A. |
| Eric Patrick Shaffer, M.B. |
St. Albert, Alta. |
| Constable Catherine Simard, M.B. |
Montréal, Que. |
| Sarah Elizabeth Joy Smith, M.B. |
Medicine Hat, Alta. |
| Alphonse St. Pierre, M.B. |
Lac Brochet, Man. |
| John Austin Thriepland, M.B. |
Saint-Rédempteur, Que. |
| Clifford Tssessaze, M.B. |
Lac Brochet, Man. |
| Norman Clyde Winsor, M.B. |
Harbour Grace, N.L. |
| Corey William Wood, M.B. |
Calgary, Alta. |
Media information
Marie-Paule Thorn / Rideau Hall Press Office
613-993-2569 / Cell. 613-301-2764 / www.gg.ca / www.citizenvoices.gg.ca
Citations
RCMP Constable Timothy Dunlap, S.C., Airdrie, Alberta
Calgary Police Sergeant Paul David Phee, S.C., Balzac, Alberta
RCMP Constable Guy Armand Raes, S.C., Airdrie, Alberta
Star of Courage
In the early hours of August 30, 2005, RCMP constables Tim Dunlap and Guy Raes, and Calgary Police Sergeant Paul Phee evacuated residents during a massive fire involving several row houses, in Airdrie, Alberta. Constables Dunlap and Raes were dispatched to the scene, and with sirens blaring to alert the sleeping residents, they drove through flames that were arching high over the road. Along with Sergeant Phee, they searched through the fire zone, entering one of the fully engulfed houses to evacuate a young couple. With burning chunks of debris raining down on them, the officers continued their search until all residents had been evacuated.
James Alexander Santos, S.C., Montréal, Quebec
Star of Courage
Constable Marco Barcarolo, M.B., Montréal, Quebec
Constable Denis Côté, M.B., Montréal, Quebec
Constable Alain Ibrahim Diallo, M.B., Montréal, Quebec
Yves Morin, M.B., Notre-Dame de l'Île-Perrot, Quebec
Vincent Pascale, M.B., C.D., Longueuil, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On September 13, 2006, a heavily armed man arrived at Dawson College in Montréal, Quebec, and started shooting at people on the street. Witness to the incident, Constable Alain Diallo exited his police cruiser and, dodging bullets aimed at him, followed the suspect into the school. The gunman found himself cornered in the cafeteria and fired at the students around him. Upon arriving at the school, constables Marco Barcarolo and Denis Côté made their way to the atrium above the cafeteria, where they attempted to keep the shooter's attention away from the students. The gunman then ordered student James Santos to stand in front of him to shield him from the police. Despite having witnessed, at close range, the violence of the gunman, Mr. Santos tried in vain to get him to surrender. While the gunman was distracted, Vincent Pascale crawled to the cafeteria door and guided some 40 students to safety. Yves Morin was shot and injured in the shoulder when he pushed a female student out of the shooter's line of fire. The incident came to an end when, wounded by a shot fired by Constable Côté, the gunman turned his weapon on himself and took his own life.
Sony Anctil, M.B., Montréal, Quebec
Constable Martin Bouchard, M.B., Brossard, Quebec
Constable Geneviève Descôteaux, M.B., Verdun, Quebec
Constable Catherine Simard, M.B., Montréal, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
In the early morning of February 3, 2004, Sony Anctil, then patroller, and constables Martin Bouchard, Geneviève Descôteaux and Catherine Simard risked their lives to evacuate the residents of a burning apartment building in Verdun, Quebec. After banging on all the doors to alert the occupants to the danger, constables Bouchard and Simard made their way to the front exit with great difficulty, but Mr. Anctil and constable Descôteaux became trapped in the smoke-filled stairwell. Running out of air, they opened a window on the first level, and were prepared to jump from it, when they heard constables Bouchard and Simard yelling to them from the entrance. Following the sound of their colleagues' voices, they were able to exit the building safely.
Wesley Eugene Belland, M.B., Fort St. John, British Columbia
Allan Dale Bennett, M.B., Edson, Alberta
Aaron Buffett, M.B., Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
Richard K. Colbourne, M.B., Edmonton, Alberta
Harold Galliford, M.B., Jarvie, Alberta
Mark Timothy McKay, M.B., Calgary, Alberta
Richard K. Randall, M.B., Red Deer, Alberta
Joseph Eugene Stanley Rucchin, M.B., Enoch, Alberta
Ronald Savill, M.B. (deceased), High Prairie, Alberta
Eric Patrick Shaffer, M.B., St. Albert, Alberta
Medal of Bravery
On January 28, 2005, the above-mentioned men attempted to rescue a co-worker who was trapped on a burning drilling rig, near Helmut, British Columbia. While drilling a surface hole, a blow-out explosion occurred, sending large rocks flying through the air and flames shooting up the derrick rig. Once gathered in a safe location, the crew noticed that one man was missing. Braving the danger, the workers located the man, who was still on the burning platform, experiencing difficulty with his harness. Although he was able to free himself, he was unable to go down, as his route was blocked by the fire. Despite the danger, the crew remained with their co-worker to hold a guide wire on which the victim tried to descend. Sadly, the man fell to the ground and sustained fatal injuries.
Andrew Cartwright, M.B., Banff, Alberta
Hussam Mohamed Meshmesha, M.B. (posthumous), Egypt
Mohamed Rashed Shaban, M.B., Houston, Texas, United States of America
Medal of Bravery
On April 8, 2006, 36-year-old Hussam Meshmesha lost his life while saving his son from drowning in the Bow River, in Alberta. The child had wandered onto the thin ice when it suddenly gave way. Mr. Meshmesha and his friend, Mohamed Shaban, ran to the boy, but they too fell through the ice. The father reached for his son and handed him over to Mr. Shaban, who had managed to get himself out of the water. Witness to the scene, Mr. Cartwright ran to assist Mr. Meshmesha, but as he lay outstretched on the thin surface, he too fell through. Although both men were quickly pulled out of the water with the help of onlookers, Mr. Meshmesha could not be revived.
Philip Joseph Comeau, M.B., Amherst, Nova Scotia
Medal of Bravery
On May 21, 2005, Philip Comeau rescued a man from a fiery death, in Amherst, Nova Scotia. With complete disregard for his own safety, he entered a fully engulfed building, and made his way to the basement apartment. Crawling on his hands and knees, he located the physically challenged victim who had collapsed on the floor, overcome by the smoke and heat. Mr. Comeau dragged him to the door, where other people helped take the unconscious man to a safe area. Thanks to Mr. Comeau's quick response, the victim sustained only minor injuries.
Léonard Corbeil, M.B. (posthumous), Québec, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On July 16, 2005, 56-year-old pilot Léonard Corbeil lost his life after trying to make an emergency landing and save his wife from their burning aircraft, near Saint-Ubald, Quebec. When the plane started experiencing mechanical problems and flames developed in the cabin, Mr. Corbeil guided the plane as close to the ground as possible. Suddenly, the craft lost all power and burst into flames. Although severely injured, Mr. Corbeil reached over to open the passenger door and pushed his wife out of the plane, ensuring her safety and eventual survival. Sadly, Mr. Corbeil did not survive the crash.
Master-Corporal Jonas Denechezhe, M.B., Lac Brochet, Manitoba
Alphonse St. Pierre, M.B., Lac Brochet, Manitoba
Clifford Tssessaze, M.B., Lac Brochet, Manitoba
Medal of Bravery
On October 13, 2006, MCpl Jonas Denechezhe, Alphonse St. Pierre and Clifford Tssessaze rescued a mother and her two sons from a burning house, in Lac Brochet, Manitoba. Unable to enter the house, they broke a window to allow some of the dense smoke to escape. Using a front-end loader, they broke through a corner of the house to gain entry. The men located the mother and her two boys and brought them to safety. Sadly, one of the children died from his injuries.
Sarto Duguay, M.B., Montréal, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On July 20, 2006, Sarto Duguay was instrumental in the rescue of a drowning woman at a beach in Gaspé, Quebec. Mr. Duguay swam out to the woman some 200 metres from shore, calmed her down and helped keep her head above the water. Exhausted from his efforts, he held on to the woman, fighting against high winds and waves that kept pushing them even further out into the water. Mr. Duguay and the victim were eventually towed back to shore when boaters arrived with an inflatable raft.
Constable Catherine Dumas, M.B., Mascouche, Quebec
Constable Carl Dussault, M.B., Deux-Montagnes, Quebec
Constable Henri-Louis Huot, M.B., Laval, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On January 24, 2004, constables Catherine Dumas, Carl Dussault and Henri-Louis Huot rescued a woman from a burning apartment in Montréal, Quebec. The officers broke down the locked door of the apartment and were engulfed in a dark, thick cloud of smoke. Feeling their way along the walls to find the occupants, they were soon forced out of the apartment due to the dense, toxic smoke. While Constable Dumas went to evacuate other residents of the building, Constable Huot re-entered the apartment and located a woman whose clothing was on fire. He put out the flames, and with Constable Dussault's help, brought the woman outside, where she soon regained consciousness.
Katayoun (Katti) Eslah, M.B., Egbert, Ontario
Medal of Bravery
On June 22, 2006, Katti Eslah rescued an elderly man from drowning in the St. Lawrence River, in Brockville, Ontario. Noticing the man floating face down in the water a few metres away from a retaining wall, Ms. Eslah quickly dove into the cold water to save the victim. She then managed to swim back with the victim in spite of the strong current, until she reached a ladder at the edge of the retaining wall. Awaiting bystanders then assisted them both out of the water.
Brandon Fudge, M.B., Notre-Dame, New Brunswick
Medal of Bravery
On October 27, 2004, 14-year-old Brandon Fudge entered his burning trailer home to rescue his unconscious brother, in Notre-Dame, New Brunswick. Alerted to the fire, Brandon had managed to escape through a window. When he realized that his younger brother was still inside, Brandon re-entered the residence through a bedroom window. After locating the unconscious boy in his bedroom, Brandon picked him up and passed him through the window to a neighbour, who had come to assiSt.
Marc-Olivier Girard, M.B., Newport, Quebec
Lyne Lévesque, M.B., Port-Daniel-Gascons, Quebec
Tommy Servant Lantin, M.B., Pabos-Mills, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On June 20, 2006, teacher Lyne Lévesque and 12-year-old students Marc-Olivier Girard and Tommy Servant Lantin rescued six children from drowning during a school excursion in Bonaventure, Quebec. The children had just entered the water when they were swept away by the swift current into deeper water. Ms. Levesque immediately dove in to rescue two of the victims who had become trapped in a five-metre-deep eddy. Although she was pulled under several times, she managed to push the victims toward the shore before making her way back to safety. For his part, Marc-Olivier Girard swam out to three other victims some 20 metres away, and brought them back to safety one by one. Tommy Servant Lantin also jumped into the water to assist a friend. Fighting exhaustion, he was eventually assisted by Marc-Olivier to complete the rescue.
Mike Giroux, M.B., Calgary, Alberta
John Lichtenwald, M.B., West Vancouver, British Columbia
Medal of Bravery
On June 1, 2006, Mike Giroux and John Lichtenwald rescued an elderly woman from a house fire, which claimed the life of the woman's daughter, in Calgary, Alberta. The rescuers fought their way through dense smoke, crawling on the floor and up the stairs, in search of the two women who were trapped by the flames. After pulling the older woman to safety, they re-entered the dwelling to search for her daughter, but were knocked down the stairs by a sudden explosion. The daughter was eventually pulled from the blaze by firefighters; sadly, she died on her way to the hospital.
Ontario Provincial Police Constable Walter Erik Howells, M.B., Thunder Bay, Ontario
Medal of Bravery
On May 14, 2006, while serving with the United Nations Police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Constable Erik Howells risked his life to lead his men to safety during a prison riot. From the rooftop of the building, prisoners hurled bricks and large pieces of concrete at the guards and police, who were forced to retreat. Noticing that a few officers had retreated to an unsafe area with no means of escape, Constable Howells returned alone to lead them back to the rest of the team. After hours of confrontation, reinforcements arrived to bring the situation under control.
Aaron Alvin Karton, M.B., Red Deer, Alberta
Medal of Bravery
On July 24, 2005, Aaron Karton rescued a man from drowning in the Skaha River Canal, in Penticton, British Columbia. The victim had tied a rope around his ankle and had attached the other end to tubes for his children to ride down the canal. While passing under a bridge, the current pushed the tubes to one side of a pillar and pinned the father on the other side. Witness to the scene, Mr. Karton jumped into the strong current to help. Unable to loosen the rope, Mr. Karton tried to keep the victim's head above water. In a panic, the man grabbed at his rescuer and pushed him under several times. Although exhausted, Mr. Karton finally managed to slip the rope off and brought the man to safety.
Joseph Francis Kretschmer, M.B., Kelvington, Saskatchewan
Medal of Bravery
On May 31, 2003, Joseph Kretschmer rescued an unconscious man from a burning vehicle, in Kelvington, Saskatchewan. Mr. Kretschmer reached into the vehicle, placing half of his body through the broken window, and groped around for the unconscious driver. Although he suffered burns to his hands, he was able to extricate the victim from the vehicle and carry him a safe distance away, with the help of others who had arrived to assiSt.
Stéphane Laplante, M.B., Saint-Eustache, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On July 30, 2006, Stéphane Laplante rescued a woman from drowning, in Saint-Alphonse-de-Rodriguez, Quebec. Despite thethreat of strong currents and powerful eddies, Mr. Laplante and some friends were swimming in the river, when one of them began to lose her strength and started to panic. Mr. Laplante made his way to the woman's side to assist her. Terrified, the woman pushed him beneath the surface several times, but he still managed to calm her down and bring her back to shore.
Denis Lecuyer, M.B., Ottawa, Ontario
Medal of Bravery
In the early hours of September 28, 2005, Denis Lecuyer prevented a woman from setting herself on fire, in Ottawa, Ontario. The distraught woman had poured kerosene over her head and body. Passing by, Mr. Lecuyer noticed her strange behaviour and saw her take out a box of matches. Without hesitation, he ran to the woman and tried to restrain her, preventing her from igniting the fire. Mr. Lecuyer managed to call 9-1-1, and restrained the woman until police arrived.
Edwin Norbert Merasty, M.B., Air Ronge, Saskatchewan
Medal of Bravery
On June 1, 2005, 15-year-old Edwin Merasty rescued his 12-year-old friend from drowning in the Montreal River, in Air Ronge, Saskatchewan. The boys were swimming quietly when the friend was swept away by the strong current. Edwin swam to him, and submerging himself, pushed the boy up to keep his head above water. After struggling with the victim, Edwin managed to get him to the shore, where others helped pull them out of the water.
Floyd Morris, M.B., Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia
Medal of Bravery
On March 19, 2006, Floyd Morris rescued a father and his two-year-old son from a burning vehicle, in Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia. Mr. Morris struggled frantically with the driver, who was in a state of shock, until he was able to extract him from the car, which was totally engulfed in flames. Hearing cries, he then ran to the other side to retrieve the baby. Although impeded by the intensifying flames and blinding smoke, he was able to cut the straps of the child's car seat and bring him out to safety.
Sarah Elizabeth Joy Smith, M.B., Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medal of Bravery
On March 16, 2006, Sarah Smith entered a burning house twice to rescue four children, in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Sarah and the children's mother were sitting outside when they noticed smoke coming from the oldest boy's room. Without hesitation, Sarah entered the dwelling, located three of the children and brought them outside. She then re-entered the smoke-filled house and, braving the intense heat, retrieved the fourth child and guided her to safety.
John Austin Thriepland, M.B., Saint-Rédempteur, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On April 7, 2006, John Thriepland rescued a suicidal man who had jumped from a ferry into the freezing water of the Ottawa River, in Quebec. Mr. Thriepland jumped into the strong current that was thick with chunks of ice. He swam out to the unconscious victim, who was drifting dangerously close to a hydroelectric dam, retrieved him from under the surface and brought him back to the stopped ferry, where they were pulled back onboard. Although physically exhausted, Mr. Thriepland then performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the victim. Rushed to hospital, the victim fully recovered, thanks to Mr. Thriepland's quick response.
Norman Clyde Winsor, M.B., Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador
Medal of Bravery
On March 7, 2006, Norman Winsor risked his life to evacuate 20 men following an ammonia leak inside the cargo hold of a shrimp trawler, in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador. Noticing a strong odour, he immediately ordered the crew to evacuate. From inside the back hatch, Mr. Winsor pushed the men outside before making his way to the other end of the hatch where he assisted others to safety. After ensuring that no one was left inside, Mr. Winsor was on his way to alert the remaining crew members on deck when, affected by the toxic fumes, he lost consciousness. He was then rushed to the hospital where he was treated for serious injuries due to the long exposure to the harmful gas.
Corey William Wood, M.B., Calgary, Alberta
Medal of Bravery
On July 25, 2006, Corey Wood risked his life to rescue two teenaged boys near Big Sur, in California. As he drove along the highway, Mr. Wood was flagged down by two individuals. He immediately climbed down the 150-metre, unstable cliff, and made his way to the vehicle, which had plummeted down and landed on its roof, partially submerged in the ocean. For more than 45 minutes, he tried to gain entry into the crushed vehicle, in an attempt to rescue the injured occupants trapped inside. When two firefighters arrived, Mr. Wood remained at the scene for over three hours, assisting the frantic emergency workers as the tide rose. The two victims were finally recovered from the wreck; sadly, they had already succumbed to their injuries.
