Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: December 5, 1983
• Invested on: June 22, 1984

Stephen LaMorre, M.B.
William Thrasher, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On the evening of 30 November 1982, in dark, freezing, and dangerous conditions, Stephen LaMorre and William Thrasher, both residents of Belleville, Ontario, subdued a young man acting erratically on a slanted rooftop while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. While on duty as an ambulance attendant, Mr. LaMorre arrived at a downtown address, climbed on the roof of the house and found the youth hallucinating and bleeding profusely from a deep laceration on is right forearm; Mr. Thrasher, a friend of the youth, joined him soon afterwards. They spoke in reassuring tones and made several attempts to grasp the distraught young man who, many times, stumbled to the edge of the roof. Later, when he rolled down toward the chimney, the two rescuers rushed to seize him. In the ensuing struggle they were kicked repeatedly. Despite their acute discomfort and their precarious position, they persisted and managed to restrain him. Mr. LaMorre then applied a pressure bandage on the bleeding forearm before the youth was removed to a waiting ambulance.