Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: January 3, 1975
• Invested on: September 22, 1975

On August 18, 1973, on the Cochrane River in Saskatchewan, a survey party was loading equipment into a float plane when a support snapped on the hatch and three of the party, including the pilot, were precipitated into the water. The pilot, a non-swimmer, was immediately carried away by the turbulent river. James Stephen, who was engaged on the project dove at once, fully clothed, into the water and swam to the pilot. The rescuer was wearing hip length waders which he had to remove in the water. He overtook the victim and held his head above water while the two drifted downstream nearly three-quarters of a mile before the other men in a power boat could reach them. The victim and his exhausted rescuer were lifted into the boat and with artificial respiration, the pilot was revived.