Medal of Bravery
Awarded on: 1988-08-22
Invested on: 1989-06-02
At approximately 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 1987, Mr. Roger Gendron saved a ten-year-old boy from drowning in Lac Tiblemont Quebec. The child had been paddling around on an air mattress which had somehow tipped him into the water. Unable to return to it because the waves kept pushing it away from him, the boy panicked and went under twice. When he saw the victim in trouble some 60 metres from shore, Mr. Rogers Gendron quickly removed his shoes and, entirely clothed and without any life saving equipment, plunged into the water. As he swam closer to the boy he yelled to him to remain calm and to keep his hands on the surface of the water so that he would not sink. When he reached the victim he pulled him onto his back and started to swim back to shore. As they were approaching a nearby dock they were pulled from the water by some men in a boat. Both the child and his rescuer were unharmed.