Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: October 31, 1995
• Invested on: May 17, 1996

During the evening of December 26, 1994, Mr. Desroches rescued two skaters from the icy waters of Stukely Lake, in Quebec. Realizing that the thin ice had given out under the man and woman, who could not pull themselves out of the hole, he lay down and inched along the ice in the darkness, guiding himself by the sound of their voices. When he reached them, he used his backpack to pull the first victim out of the water. After the first victim had crawled some thirty metres away on the fragile surface, Mr. Desroches freed the second skater, and all three made it back to safety.