Medal of Bravery
Awarded on: 2019-02-25
Invested on: 2019-09-12
In July 2018, over the course of three days, Erik Brown repeatedly put his life at risk during a rescue operation involving several international divers in Tham Luang Nang Non cave, in Thailand. Monsoon rains had flooded the cave, trapping a group of children and their soccer coach inside. As part of the rescue team, Mr. Brown laid guide ropes and carried equipment through a long, winding passage studded with jagged rocks and debris. He blindly navigated the three-kilometre route, fighting against rushing currents and low-hanging obstructions, and squeezing through dangerously narrow passages in order to establish and maintain a vital link in a chain of divers that miraculously guided each child to safety.