Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: June 8, 1981
• Invested on: September 18, 1981

Corporal Marcel R.J. Bertrand, M.B.
Private Charles W. Stewart, M.B.
Warrant Officer Arthur E. Warren, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

Sgt. Warren (now WO.), Cpl. Bertrand and Pte. Stewart of the Canadian Armed Forces saved a woman and her teenage daughter from drowning at San Diego, California on 22 December 1979. While swimming at the Navy Beach, Cpl. Bertrand and Pte. Stewart became aware that the two women, caught in a rip-tide were being swept to sea and drowning. They rushed to their assistance and helped them keep afloat. They made fruitless efforts to fight the strong current which kept pulling them farther away from the shore. They were quickly losing strength. WO. Warren saw their plight, asked a young man on the beach to bring his surfboard to be used by the group for floatation and he joined his colleagues to give much needed help. When a swimmer arrived with another surfboard, the exhausted rescuers and victims were better able to distribute their weight. Cpl. Bertrand then swam towards the life-guards and alerted them to the danger, after which all the swimmers were assisted to the safety of the shore. The three men's immediate response to the women's cries for help and their determination in spite of grave personal danger were instrumental in saving the lives of the two victims.