Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: August 8, 1983
• Invested on: December 09, 1983

O.P.P. Corporal Bruce Claude Kruger, M.B.
O.P.P. Constable Barry Thompson, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

Two members of the Ontario Provincial Police, Cpl. (then Cst.) Bruce Kruger and Cst. Barry Thompson combined efforts to rescue a teenaged girl from drowning in the Muskoka River on 23 April 1982. Near midnight that evening, four teenagers were using a small aluminium craft when it suddenly capsized. Three of them reached shore but one girl, a non-swimmer, was carried away while frantically clinging to the gas tank of the sunken boat. Cst. Thompson arrived at the scene in his patrol car, joined shortly thereafter by Cpl. Kruger, who was off duty at the time and had driven from his home. Though untrained in life-saving techniques they resolved to aid the victim. With the headlights of both cars shining on the river Cpl. Kruger dove in and swam against the strong current. He grabbed the young victim, who by then had almost disappeared below the surface, and struggled toward shore. Meanwhile Cst. Thompson, seeing his confrère weakened by the frigid water, progressing slowly and about to lose his grip on the victim, entered further downstream. He reached the two and, although numb with cold, succeeded in bringing them to shore.