Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: May 30, 1997
• Invested on: December 05, 1997

On July 16, 1996, Levi Palituq tried in vain to rescue a man from drowning near Pond Inlet in the Northwest Territories. A group of local hunters was travelling on the ice when one man's snowmobile went through the surface as he neared an area of open water. Waiting in his boat to ferry the group across, Mr. Palituq saw the man disappear and immediately began running towards him. When his boots became wet and heavy, he removed them and ran barefoot over cracked and unsafe ice until he was by the man's side. Unable to reach him from the edge, Mr. Palituq jumped into the icy waters and grabbed onto him. He was dragged under the surface several times by the heavy victim and despite his most valiant effort, could not lift him out. Mr. Palituq persevered until he lost consciousness and had to be pulled from the water by a man using a seal hook.