Sergeant Kevin Dale Elliott, S.C., C.D.
Master Corporal Darcy St-Laurent, S.C., C.D.
Star of Courage
On November 13, 1996, Search and Rescue Technicians Elliott and St-Laurent parachuted in hazardous weather to rescue four survivors whose helicopter had crashed in the Torngat Mountains of Northern Labrador. The technicians had already effected two unsuccessful searches with flare illumination and were returning to their base because of dwindling fuel, when distress flares were reported from the base of a fiord. With weather conditions worsening, they decided to jump, aware that preparations had to be done in half the normal time, due to low fuel. A landing plateau was identified amidst the 50-metre rock peaks, five kilometres from the crash site. As they jumped, both men were tossed around by turbulence and separated from each other by high winds that carried them away from the plateau, in a blinding snow squall. After a difficult landing, they managed to reunite, and locate their equipment. Sgt. Elliott and then Cpl. St-Laurent dragged their heavy toboggan during a two-hour night descent of the cliffs, forced from time to time to take shelter. One kilometre from the crash site, they detected a faint light and radioed the information to another rescue team who made its way through the inclement weather and succeeded in airlifting the victims to safety. As there was limited space onboard the helicopter, Sgt. Elliott and MCpl. St-Laurent stayed behind, constructed a snow cave shelter and waited for recovery.