Private Jess Larochelle deserving of commendation
OTTAWA, ON, 1 December 2021 – The Royal Canadian Legion is supporting efforts to award a Canadian soldier the Canadian Victoria Cross. It is the country’s highest honour for bravery, valour, self-sacrifice and devotion to duty when in the presence of an enemy.
Private Jess Larochelle served in Afghanistan and performed selfless acts to save others during an attack by enemy forces in 2006. Media reports describe a badly wounded and bleeding soldier who returned to his post to prevent further casualties as enemy fighters gained ground. While severely injured he fired multiple M72 rockets, resulting in the enemy’s retreat and saving the rest of his section. Two members had already died.
“There is no doubt that Private Larochelle went above and beyond in excruciating circumstances to save his Comrades and serve our nation,” says Bruce Julian, Dominion President. “We ask that our military leaders review Private Larochelle’s actions with a view to honouring him with this award.”
The Legion joins a chorus of others requesting Pte. Larochelle be recognized for his extraordinary service with the Canadian Victoria Cross. He was previously awarded the Star of Military Valour, which is the second highest award for bravery.
The Victoria Cross was established in 1856 and has been awarded to over 80 Canadians. The Canadian Victoria Cross was established on 1 January 1993 and has not been awarded to any soldiers to date.
About The Royal Canadian Legion
Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canada’s largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S. and Europe. With 250,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.
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