Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, will be presenting Decorations for Bravery at a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Organizers say 40 individuals will be receiving awards from the Governor General from one of three categories. One Cross of Valor, one Star of Courage and 38 Medals of Bravery will be awarded to 40 individuals this year, including a Drayton Valley RCMP Corporal who was involved in a shooting in 2018.
A Medal of Bravery will be presented to each of the following:
- Corporal Brandon Tobin, M.B.
Drayton Valley, Alberta - Constable Mark Stephen Facendi, M.B.
Spruce Grove, Alberta - Constable Norman Wong, M.B.
Chilliwack, British Columbia - Sergeant Brian Topham, M.B.
Darwell, Alberta
The decoration awarded to Sergeant Brian Topham will be presented to him at a later date. - Corporal Jeffrey Czarnecki, M.B.
Ottawa, Ontario
This is the second Medal of Bravery awarded to Corporal Czarnecki
These officers were involved in a shootout with a suspect in Evansburg, Alberta on March 29, 2018. After pursuing a suspect vehicle, the suspect exited the vehicle and began firing at the officers with a high-powered rifle. Sergeant Topham returned fire but was struck by a round and rendered unconscious. While under fire from the suspect, Constable Czarnecki approached Sergeant Topham and Constable Wong retrieved a first aid kit while Corporal Tobin and Constable Facendi provided covering fire and apprehended the suspects.
Queen Elizabeth II created this series of medals in 1972 for civilians and uniformed personnel, living or deceased, in recognition of bravery in hazardous conditions. Over the last 50 years, over 4000 Decorations of Bravery have been awarded.
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