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Abbotsford cadet's brave actions recognized

Warrant Officer First Class Simon Grant, a member of the Silverfox air cadet squadron, receives the Cadet Medal of Bravery.
19965abbotsfordBraveryAward
Warrant Officer First Class Simon Grant receives the Cadet Medal of Bravery from Commander Stan Bates from the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Pacific) in Victoria.

There was no time to think, just time to act.

So that鈥檚 what Simon Grant did.

It has been more than two years since Warrant Officer First Class Grant took action, and last week the member of the Air Cadet Squadron 861 Silverfox in Abbotsford was presented with the Cadet Medal of Bravery from the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.

He received the honour for his 鈥渙utstanding valour as an air cadet, involving the risk of his own life to save others and maintain their well-being.鈥

The incident took place Oct. 10, 2009 in Fort 91原创.

Then only 16, Grant and his fellow cadets were helping with the local cranberry festival, unloading and loading trolley buses, which were parked on an incline and filled with people.

The bus Grant was helping to load suddenly began to roll on its own, with no driver inside.

鈥淭he brakes failed. I heard a snapping, odd sound and suddenly the bus was moving,鈥 he said.

Knowing there were passengers on board, Grant moved quickly.

鈥淚 just hopped on the bus and looked down at the pedals.鈥

At that time, he didn鈥檛 have a driver鈥檚 licence and didn鈥檛 know which pedal was which.

He chose correctly and managed to bring the bus to a stop long enough for the driver to catch up and take over. When he looked up, all 35 people on the bus were just staring at him.

鈥淚t was silent. It was very silent. Nobody knew what was going on. Then I just walked off the bus.鈥

By the time he stopped the bus鈥 progress, it had already gone over the curb and was about 10 feet away from an embankment, which would have sent it on a one and a half storey fall.

鈥淚t was no more than 10 seconds, the whole thing,鈥 he said.

No one was hurt in the incident. Grant said he doesn鈥檛 like to think about what could have happened.

Last week鈥檚 medal ceremony was a huge thrill for him.

鈥淢y hands were numb. I don鈥檛 know how to explain it. Exciting doesn鈥檛 do it justice. There was a lot of emotion.鈥

This was not his first award. Grant has also received the Long Service Medal, Lord Strathcona Medal, Chief Instructors Award and the Legion Medal of Excellence.

Because he turns 19 later this month, the award ceremony was his last official event as a cadet. But he doesn鈥檛 think his involvement in the military has come to an end.

鈥淚 have an application into RMC, the military college. I want to be a logistics officer.鈥

He said his family has a long history of soldiers, police officers, correctional officers, paratroopers and more.

鈥淢y family has always been sort of military. 鈥楾here鈥檚 never been a Grant out of uniform鈥 is pretty much the saying.鈥



Kevin Mills

About the Author: Kevin Mills

I have been a member of the media for the past 35 years and became editor of the Mission Record in February of 2015.
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91原创

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