Medal of Bravery
Awarded on: 1991-02-18
Invested on: 1991-06-21
On November 17, 1988, while out deer hunting, Randy Norton MacLeod rescued three of six hunters whose boat had capsized in the rough waters of Vaughan Lake, Ontario. Hearing screams for help, Mr. MacLeod ran along the shore until he could see three people clinging to the overturned boat. He then swam across a channel to get a canoe, paddled back to the victims and made two trips to bring them to a nearby island where another victim had managed to swim. Realizing the danger of having the wet men exposed to the frigid temperatures, Mr. MacLeod again made two trips by canoe to transport all four of them to the mainland. Unfortunately, only three were able to make it to the hunt camp. Mr. MacLeod then set off in a boat for help and brought three friends back. Despite his exhaustion after several hours of rescue effort, he set out again to notify police and ambulance.