Courage under a different kind of fire

The Governor General announced thirteen Medal of Bravery awards yesterday. I'd like to bring your attention to one of them in particular:

Second Lieutenant John Robert Walsh, M.B., Brampton, Ontario
Medal of Bravery

On October 7, 2004, Second Lieutenant John Walsh, a teacher at an elementary school in Brampton, Ontario, single-handedly broke up a vicious assault on a 17-year old boy by five armed teenagers. Informed by a colleague that a fight had broken out in the schoolyard, Mr. Walsh rushed to intervene. As he reached the scene, two of the attackers ran off while another continued beating the victim on the head with a metal bar. Without hesitation, Mr. Walsh tackled the armed assailant and struggled with him until he dropped the weapon. With complete disregard for his own safety, he then attempted to fight off the remaining aggressors who were continuing their assault on the downed victim. The gang finally fled when another teacher arrived on the scene and called the police.

Congrats to 2Lt Walsh for showing once again that character and training are useful beyond just the battlefield.