'Team Nathan' from left to right: Master Cpl. Anthony Wiseman, Barbara Winters, Col. Conrad Mialkowski, Martin Magnan, Margaret Lerhe and Master Cpl. Kyle Button. Each received a medal in the Senate chambers on June 20 for their efforts to save Cpl. Nathan Cirillo amid the Parliament Hill shootings. (CBC)
St. John Ambulance presents medals to passersby who rushed to aid of wounded serviceman
The six passersby who rushed to the aid of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo after a gunman opened fire at the National War Memorial on Oct. 22 were honoured by St. John Ambulance for their bravery at a special ceremony on Parliament Hill this afternoon.
Each received the Gold Life-saving Medal of the Order of St. John from the first-aid training organization for their combined efforts to compress Cirillo's wounds, perform CPR and offer him comfort in his final moments as he lay bleeding on the cenotaph. They are:
- Barbara Winters, a lawyer and former naval reservist.
- Margaret Lerhe, a nurse with Doctors Without Borders.
- Martin Magnan, Veterans Affairs press secretary.
- Master Cpl. Anthony Wiseman.
- Master Cpl. Kyle Button, the third, roving sentry on Oct. 22.
- Col. Conrad Mialkowski.
Ahead of the ceremony in the Senate chambers, Winters said she was "delighted" to be receiving the medal.
"The thing St. John teaches us is to not be afraid, to not doubt yourself," she said. "That even with first aid or even if you don't have first aid, to try to go to somebody's assistance, to even just hold their hand, or talk to them, or give them a blanket or touch them and let them know they're not alone."
Magnan said the honour was bittersweet.
"It's an unusual mixed bag of feelings. If the outcome had been different, I'd be much more pleased," he said.
Lerhe said the group of six have grown very close since they met at the cenotaph in the chaos of the shooting.
"Now we're a team. We call ourselves Team Nathan," she said.
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6 honoured for helping Cpl. Nathan Cirillo during Parliament Hill shootings - Ottawa - CBC News