Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: June 27, 2001
• Invested on: December 06, 2001

Sergeant John Mitchell, M.M.M., M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On April 10, 1998, John Mitchell confronted two Rottweilers who were savagely attacking a six-year-old boy in Dawson City, Yukon. Alerted by the sounds of dogs fighting, Mr. Mitchell grabbed a camping stove and a metal pail from his truck and attempted to distract the dogs by making loud noises and yelling at them. Seeing that the enraged animals did not stop their attack, he began beating them off with the stove and pail. As the dogs turned on him, he managed to get the severely-injured boy to his feet. Under the dogs' intensified attack, he was able to back away with the young victim, while repeatedly hitting the dogs, until he finally reached the safety of his truck. He then drove the child to a nursing station for treatment before being evacuated to Vancouver for extensive surgery. Thankfully, the boy survived the ordeal.