Decorations for Bravery Ceremony

On May 7, 2007, Petty Officer 2nd Class Drew Dazzo, of the American Coast Guard, rescued an Ottawa man and two other crew members after their sailboat capsized during a storm near the North Carolina coast, in the United States. The victims were desperately hanging on to their damaged life raft in 20-metre-high waves, when Petty Officer 2nd Class Dazzo was lowered by a cable from a helicopter to help each of them into a rescue basket. He sustained a back injury during the first descent when he was violently tossed by a large wave. Petty Officer 2nd Class Dazzo displayed a very high degree of courage, determination and endurance during the rescue, which was performed in extreme weather and perilous sea conditions. Petty Officer 2nd Class Drew D. Dazzo (front) received the Star of Courage. Rudy Snel of Manotick, Ont. (background) was one of the rescued men.

On July 11, 2007, Constable Kevin Zeh rescued a woman whose kayak had overturned in the rapids of the turbulent Elbow River, near Bragg Creek, Alberta. The strong current had pinned the victim between her kayak and a submerged log. While struggling to keep the current from pulling him under the log, Constable Zeh managed to pull the kayak off the woman, freeing her from her precarious position. The victim became trapped a second time as she tried to reach the shore. Although exhausted from his previous efforts, Constable Zeh again came to the woman’s rescue by using a knife to free her. He was then able to bring her safely to shore.

On August 10, 2007, Ms. Tanya Waldriff put herself at considerable risk while attempting to rescue her husband and her stepson, who were caught in a riptide, in Freeland, Prince Edward Island. Ms. Waldriff swam out into the strong current to reach the two victims. While her 13-year-old stepson made his way back to the shoreline, Ms. Waldriff stayed behind to assist her husband in his efforts to swim to safety. The fatigued man became disoriented and began swimming towards the open water. Fighting for her own safety, Ms. Waldriff made her way towards the shore where others helped her out of the water. Sadly, her husband did not survive.

On June 15, 2007, 10-year-old Cody Sloot displayed bravery when he set out alone to get help for his injured father, near Renata, British Columbia. While on an excursion, their all-terrain vehicle overturned onto Cody’s father, who sustained multiple injuries in the accident. Their vehicle no longer serviceable, they started to walk back to Renata to seek help. Five kilometres from their destination, Cody’s father, who was in great pain, felt that he was unable to go any further. Although reluctant to leave him, Cody decided to keep going on his own, knowing that there was a chance he could come across bears. He finally reached his destination, found help, and returned to his father’s side.

On March 13, 2007, eight-year-old Kelsey Roy saved her mother from a possible drowning, in Carleton Place, Ontario. During an outing along Mississippi Lake, Kelsey’s mother fell through the ice while attempting to rescue their dog. Her water-filled boots weighed her down, and kept her from crawling back out onto the ice. Without any concern for her own safety, Kelsey crawled onto the thin ice to reach her distraught mother. Kelsey grabbed her until her mom was able to pull herself up and move onto safer ice.

On December 14, 2006, off-duty firefighter Robert Walker and trucker Daniel Reynolds pulled an elderly woman from a burning vehicle following a two-vehicle collision, in Dundas, Ontario. While Mr. Reynolds attempted to extinguish the flames and struggled to open the driver’s badly damaged door, Mr. Walker entered through the rear door, pulled the front seat back, and unbuckled the driver’s seat belt. The car was quickly filling up with smoke and flames as Messrs. Walker and Reynolds pulled the woman out and brought her a safe distance away. Unfortunately, the woman did not survive.

On December 12, 2006, Constable Gino Nolet (on the photo) of the Ontario Provincial Police and volunteer firefighter Robert Ringuette rescued a man from a burning apartment, in Hearst, Ontario. Responding to a 911 call, Constable Nolet forced his way through the front door and climbed a narrow, smoke-filled staircase to reach the apartment. He kicked down the door and crawled inside to locate the occupant, but was forced back due to the thick, heavy smoke. Constable Nolet then re-entered the dwelling with Mr. Ringuette to recover the unconscious man and drag him outside. Sadly, despite their efforts, the man did not survive.

On June 4, 2005, Corporal James Munro, then constable, rescued a man from a burning apartment building, in Flin Flon, Manitoba. While on patrol in the area, Corporal Munro noticed the fire, called the fire department and proceeded to alert the residents. Not getting a response to his calls, he kicked in the door of one of the apartments, entered, and was soon overcome by the thick, black smoke and intense heat. He crawled inside to locate the semi-conscious occupant and dragged him to safety. Corporal Munro continued to alert other residents and assist in extinguishing the fire until all the residents had been safely evacuated.

On March 24, 2007, Shaun Harper, Gerry Kuczek, Wayne Kuczek and Harry Prymak rescued a man from a possible drowning after his snowmobile went through the ice on a river in Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba. Mr. Prymak crawled out to the victim and grabbed him, but the ice broke and he too found himself in the water. The other rescuers tossed ropes and lifejackets to them, and tried pulling them out, but the ice kept breaking away. Struggling atop the fragile surface, they succeeded, with difficulty, in pulling Mr. Prymak and the snowmobiler to safety.

On December 31, 2006, Robert Hardy, Gregory Lawlor and Caroline Young (on the photo) rescued a teenager from drowning, in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and Labrador. When the all-terrain vehicle carrying Ms. Young and two friends broke through the ice, one youth disappeared beneath the surface, while Ms. Young and the other passenger clung to the edge, waiting for help. Mr. Hardy climbed into a small boat and made his way to the two victims, using a shovel and a rake to break through the ice. With firefighter Lawlor’s help, they reached the distraught individuals. Instead of allowing herself to be rescued, Ms. Young swam to her friend, passed him the life ring that had been thrown to her, and kept him from going under the water. Both the rescuers and the two victims got into the boat, which was pulled safely to shore by onlookers. Sadly, the first victim did not survive; his body was recovered the next day.

On October 13, 2006, Master Corporal Jonas Denechezhe (on the picture), Alphonse St. Pierre and Clifford Tssessaze rescued a mother and her two sons from a burning house, in Lac Brochet, Manitoba. Unable to enter the house, they broke a window to allow some of the dense smoke to escape. Using a front-end loader, they broke through a corner of the house to gain entry. The men located the mother and her two boys and brought them to safety. Sadly, one of the children died from his injuries. Messrs. St. Pierre and Tssessaze will receive their Decorations at another ceremony.

On July 13, 2007, river guides Gary Brown and Scott Moody saved a family of six after a boating mishap on the Bella Coola River, in British Columbia. The guides and the family had been travelling in two drift boats when one of the crafts was pulled under a log by the strong current and its five occupants were thrown into the water. When they resurfaced, Mr. Brown managed to get two of the victims to a nearby small island where the rest of the group had gathered. Mr. Moody then crossed the swift current to the river bank and set up a makeshift pulley system tied to their remaining boat. For the next two hours, Messrs. Brown and Moody shuttled the victims over the raging river, to bring them to safety. The decoration awarded to Mr. Moody was presented by the Governor General to his son, Mr. Jason Moody.

On August 4, 2007, 11-year-old Jerrica Bartlett rescued her great-granduncle from drowning in Grand Manan, New Brunswick. Accidentally hitting the throttle instead of the brake on his ATV, the 85-year-old man found himself in the water, trapped under his vehicle. Jerrica jumped in to assist him, keeping his head above the surface. Struggling to stay afloat, Jerrica towed him towards the edge of the pond until she was able to touch the bottom. Others then arrived to assist them both out of the water.

On July 22, 2007, Mark Barnard, Andrew Hilderman and Michael Landry, from Saskatchewan, rescued a woman from a burning vehicle, in Spallumcheen, British Columbia. The out-of-control vehicle had flipped into a ditch and caught fire. The passenger escaped but the driver remained trapped inside the wreck. While witnesses attempted to smother the flames, Mr. Barnard tried, in vain, to unlatch the woman’s seat belt. Meanwhile, Mr. Landry obtained a knife, crawled inside the car and cut the victim’s seat belt. The three rescuers then grabbed the driver and pulled her to safety, moments before the vehicle’s gas tank exploded.

On August 1, 2006, off-duty Constable Dan Bailey of the Ontario Provincial Police rescued two women who were trapped inside an overturned, burning vehicle following an accident in Elgin, Ontario. Constable Bailey heard the crash and ran to the car to find the two women trapped by their seat belts. Despite the intensifying flames and extreme heat, Constable Bailey managed to cut both seat belts, remove the driver, and carry her to a safer location. He then returned to the vehicle to find that the passenger’s arm was pinned to the ground under the vehicle. While others rocked the car, Constable Bailey was able to free the woman. Constable Bailey suffered burns to his arms and face. Sadly, the driver did not survive.

On July 30, 2007, Ryan Atwin, Michael Cruz, Robert Donelle, Evan Green (featured on the photo) and Nick Lannigan rescued a disabled man who was trapped in his burning apartment, in Oromocto, New Brunswick. After kicking the door open, they made their way to the badly burned victim, but were forced back by the intense heat. In spite of the imminent danger, the rescuers rushed back into the apartment, which was filled with spreading flames and dense smoke. They pulled the man out to safety, seconds before oxygen tanks inside the house exploded. Sadly, the victim died from his injuries.

The Governor General presented one Star of Courage and 46 Medals of Bravery at a ceremony at Rideau Hall, on February 4, 2010. "Each of your stories reminds us that it is often in the most trying of times that the noblest human qualities come to the fore.

The Bravery Decorations were created in 1972. They recognize people who risk their lives and choose to defy their own instinct of survival to try to save a loved one or a perfect stranger whose life is in immediate danger.

The three levels of Decorations for Bravery reflect the degree to which the recipients put themselves at risk: The Cross of Valour (C.V.) recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril. The Star of Courage (S.C.) recognizes acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril. The Medal of Bravery (M.B.) recognizes acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.