Star of Courage

• Awarded on: August 11, 1975
• Invested on: September 22, 1975

Capt. Michel Coutu jumped from the Perley Bridge in Hawkesbury, Ontario, into the Ottawa River fifty feet below in an attempt to save the life of a seventeen-year-old motorcyclist. On May 27, 1973, when his motorcycle struck the rear of a car, the youth's clothes became saturated with gasoline and caught fire. Overcome with pain, the victim hurled himself over the handrail and dropped into the
river. Recognizing the youth's desperate plight, Capt. Coutu, in complete disregard for his own safety, leaped from the bridge into the fast moving water. The would-be rescuer swam downstream after the victim but the latter had already disappeared below the surface and was drowned. Presently, a boatman came to the assistance of Capt. Coutu who was brought safely to shore.