A University of Victoria student who lost his life when he took a bullet for a friend, and a naval officer from Esquimalt who risked his life by recovering an unexploded grenade are being recognized for their bravery today.
Gov. Gen. David Johnston is honouring three Canadians with the Star of Courage and 43 more with Medals of Bravery at a ceremony in Ottawa today (Feb. 24).
Lap Trung Truong will accept the Medal of Bravery for his son, Philbert Truong, a University of Victoria student who was shot and killed outside the Red Jacket Nightclub on View Street on July 19, 2008.
A brief verbal dispute led to a man pulling out a gun. Philbert, 20, stepped in front of his friend to protect him, and was shot.
Navy Lt. André Bard, who works at CFB Esquimalt, was unable to attend the ceremony and will receive his Medal of Bravery at a later date.
Bard and Leading Seaman David Denman of Shearwater, N.S. are being recognized for risking their lives on Sept. 23, 2009.
The military divers were looking for an unknown number of grenades that had been thrown in a pond in Stewiacke, N.S., including one that had malfunctioned and was “in an extremely dangerous state,” a statement from the Rideau Hall press office reads.
“Using a metal mine detector in the murky water, the dive team searched the bottom of the pond, where they found the unexploded grenade buried deep in the mud.”
The pair were able to safely dispose of the explosive device.
