Six Manitobans are being honoured by the Governor General of Canada with decorations of bravery, including a Winnipeg man who defended 26 students from armed intruders in Dominican Republic.
Lester Lehmann will receive the Star of Courage, which recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.
Lehmann was living in Puerto Plata in January 2014 when he came across two armed men who were trying to access hotel rooms where students were staying. He confronted the assailants and was brutally beaten and injured.
Despite his injuries, Lehmann charged the men with a bat and knocked them down. One of the suspects shot Lehmann several times before fleeing the scene.
Five other Manitobans will also receive Medals of Bravery; Bryan Henzel and Gordon Tourand from Winnipeg; Audrey Hicks and Della Shore from Arnes; Ernest Quick from Narol.
Henzel helped rescue three people from a burning vehicle after a head-on collision.
Tourand, a building manager, evacuated a hotel during a devastating fire in Dauphin.
Arnes lifeguards Hicks and Shore rescued two men whose sailboat had capsized on a cold day in Lake Winnipeg.
Quick, along with two other men, rescued a man from a burning truck in Winnipeg after it collided and became trapped between two other vehicles.
To learn more about the recipients, visit the Governor General of Canada’s website.
The ceremony was held Friday at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
