Below you will read some acts of very brave Canadians who risked their lives to save or try and save another. These are true heroes whose amazing stories that need to be heard. These are true Canadian heroesshose stories need to be told.

CITATION:  MATTHEW JACKSON, TYLER LOCKERBY

On June 29, 2009, Matthew Jackson and Tyler Lockerby were driving on a mountainous section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Revelstoke BC when they saw a Minivan ahead of them swerve, jump a median, roll down a steep embankment and plunge into the icy waters of Griffin Lake.  The Minivan carried a Calgary couple and their two grown daughters. Matthew and Tyler immediately pulled over, ran down the steep embankment and dived into the water.  The Van had landed about 10 to 15 feet from shore and because its windows had shattered, it sank about 10 feet to the bottom.  The freezing water was covered with oil as the two young men swam towards the submerged Van.  Matthew was the first to reach the vehicle and he grabbed one of the victims.  She had a bad cut on her forehead and her face was covered in blood.  He handed the hysterical and screaming woman to Tyler who swam her to shore and propped her on the steep bank above the water.  Tyler swam back to the Minivan where Matthew had managed to pull out the male and Tyler swam him to shore, propping him up as well.  After a few more dives, in an attempt to find any other victims, they managed to grab a woman and brought her to the embankment.  She was in great pain and after much crying managed to yell out that there was one more person in the vehicle.  More below:

Matthew and Tyler immediately dove in and again swam to the van.  They reached in through the broken windows desperately searching around for the last victim and suddenly the felt what they thought was a pair of legs.  Pulling at them, they got the female out and held her atop the roof to catch their breath.  Then the two men brought her ashore and lifted her out of the water. All of the victims were badly cut, bruised and bleeding.  The male was having difficulty breathing.  Matthew and Tyler tried to calm the injured victims and reassured them that help was on the way.  There were many vehicles that had pulled over and, as there was no cell phone reception, a truck was stopped and asked to radio for help.  When emergency vehicles arrived, both young men helped load the injured victims onto a stretcher and then onto a secondary stretcher, which was winched up the extremely steep embankment.  After tending to their cuts and scratches from the broken glass, they changed into dry clothes and drove to work. 
For their quick actions and valiant efforts to rescue four badly injured people from a submerged van in freezing water the Bronze Medal for Bravery is awarded to Matthew Jackson and Tyler Lockerby. 

CITATION:  DAWN MANNING

Dawn Manning was hiking with her family in Colville National Forest in Washington State on September 2, 2009.  She and her five-year old son were about 50 meters ahead of her husband and daughter when a cougar pounced on the boy.  The cougar dug its claws into his head and started dragging him into the bush.  Dawn immediately rushed the animal, attacking it furiously with a metal water bottle.  Her repeated blows and screams caused the cougar to retreat into the bush.  By the time her husband reached the pair, his son’s face and Dawn’s hand were covered in blood.  The parents wrapped the boy’s head and hiked back to the trailhead as fast as they could, keeping some large sticks on hand, screaming and fearfully looking out for the cougar.  They drove their injured son to hospital in Trail BC where numerous stitches were needed to close gashes, cuts to his face and head, and puncture wounds on his chest and arm.  The boy was released the next day and has made a full recovery. They family later learned that the cougar had stalked them all the way along the trail and back to their car. 

For her heroic actions in fending off a cougar attack to save her son’s life the Bronze Medal for Bravery is awarded to Dawn Manning.  

                             CITATION:  CST. DON SINCLAIR

On the late afternoon of April 16, 2009 a suicidal woman drove her SUV off a Comox boat ramp.  Cst. Don Sinclair arrived on the scene about 8 minutes later and was met by three bystanders who had observed the incident and had called 911.  One of men handed Cst. Sinclair an axe and informed him that there was a female in the car, which could be seen bobbing in the water about 30 feet from the boat ramp.  Cst. Sinclair removed his duty belt and vest.  He then entered the ice-cold water, and picking his way across the slippery rocks he managed to reach the vehicle which was now in chest deep water.  Using the axe, Cst. Sinclair smashed out the rear window and noted the car interior was filled with water above the seats.  He partially entered the bobbing vehicle and coaxed the frightened woman to come towards him.  He eventually persuaded her to come close enough for him to grab her jacket and telling her to help by kicking, he was able to pull her out of the mostly submerged vehicle.  Once they were out, she grabbed Cst. Sinclair in a bear hug which caused him to lose his footing on the slippery rocks and go underwater.  When he regained his footing, he held her by the waist but a few feet from shore she again grabbed him and pulled him under.  By this time other RCMP members had arrived and one of them came into the water to help escort the woman to the boat ramp.  Cst. Sinclair sustained numerous lacerations on his arms and hands and had them bandaged.  After clearing the scene he drove himself to hospital where he was treated and released. 

For his valiant efforts in saving a suicidal victim from drowning the Bronze Medal for Bravery is awarded to Cst. Don Sinclair.   

CITATION:  CST. JAMES MOIR

 

On February 2, 2011 a Dodge Ram truck carrying 5 family members was traveling north on Highway 1 around midnight - with light rain falling.  The truck had just exited the Sailor Bar Tunnel past Yale, BC when it suddenly came across freezing rain and the road was covered in ice.  The driver lost control of the vehicle and it swung 360 degrees ending up in the ditch against a large rock. Luckily, none of the passengers were hurt.  Cst. Moir responded to the report of a multi-vehicle accident, as many more vehicles were scattered along the road and ditch due to the extreme icy conditions.  After having his own vehicle slide into a semi trailer unit Cst. Moir checked on the Dodge truck in the ditch.  While waiting for the vehicle information to be collected, Cst Moir was standing near the truck’s tailgate talking to the driver’s 15 year old daughter. A sanding truck was approaching the area when it also lost control, and caused a series of collisions that sent a second truck skidding toward the Dodge.  Cst. Moir’s attention was drawn to the sound of the crash and he saw the truck coming at them.  He knew they were going to be hit, but he immediately grabbed the girl by the shoulders and threw her to safety.  The truck then slammed into Cst. Moir pinning him between the two vehicles. The driver of the Doge truck had been a volunteer firefighter and she quickly summoned help from motorists directing them to push the trucks apart and she instructed two other men to pull the wounded officer from the wreckage. An ambulance crew was stopped in the traffic and they were able to render assistance.  Cst. Moir was rushed to hospital in Hope where he was diagnosed with a fractured right leg and extreme bruising as a result of being pinned between the two trucks.  He underwent surgery and will have a full year of recovery however, if he had not grabbed the smaller girl to throw her out of harm’s way she would have been struck in the mid-section and would not have survived the impact. 

For his heroic action in pushing a young girl out of the path of an out of control truck, without any regard for his own safety, the Silver Medal for Bravery is awarded to Cst. James Moir.    

CITATION: CPL. WILLIAM WARK

It was around 2:30 A.M. on December 24, 2009 when Cpl. Wark responded to a report of a single motor vehicle accident in Burnaby and heard that the driver might be trapped inside the burning vehicle.  Arriving at the scene Cpl. Wark found the car had smashed head-on into a cement wall. He was also greeted by hysterical bystanders yelling that someone was still inside.  The front end of the vehicle was fully engulfed by flames over 2 metres high but, Cpl. Wark immediately ran to the driver’s side of the car and found the door open.  He observed a young male slumped over, clutching the steering wheel, with his arms already on fire.  Several times Cpl. Wark attempted to pull the driver out, even though the flames were rapidly spreading to the front seats, smoke was engulfing the area, and he could hear the sound of engine hoses bursting.  He could not pull the driver out due to the locked seat.  As he reached into his duty belt for his knife he heard a loud pop and a ball of flames forced Cpl. Wark to dive approximately 4 feet backwards landing on his side in the middle of the road.  He instantly got back up and again ran towards the injured driver but, by this time, the front of the car and the driver were engulfed in flames making it impossible for Cpl. Wark to reach the victim.  The Burnaby Fire Department arrived and as they doused the flames they were able to remove the driver.  He was transported by ambulance to hospital, treated, and later taken to Vancouver General Hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken spine and burns to 80 percent of his body. 

For risking his life in an effort to save the driver in a very dangerous situation the Silver Medal for Bravery is awarded to Cpl. William Wark.