Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: May 17, 1976
• Invested on: June 28, 1976

Sergeant Donald Calvin Duplisea, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

Sgt. Donald Duplisea (then MCpl.), imperilled his own life to rescue a colleague from inside an armoured personnel carrier which sank with two persons aboard during training exercises at a lake in Lahr, Germany, on 26 March 1975. Divers on the site succeeded in rescuing the crew commander, but one man was trapped in an inaccessible section of the vehicle. When attempts to haul the carrier from the water also failed, MCpl. Duplisea dived into the freezing water and in almost total darkness proceeded head first through a hatch, pulling his air tanks behind him. The tiny interior of the vehicle was congested with equipment, but the rescuer managed nonetheless to manoeuvre through the compartments and open a larger cargo door. MCpl. Duplisea then resurfaced with the man and applied artificial respiration; but the victim unfortunately could not be revived.