Iqaluit (Sep 22/03) - They risked their lives trying to save people they did not know.

One rescued a group of hikers swept into a lake in Auyuittuq National Park.

Another saw smoke emerging from an apartment complex and rushed in to help.

On Friday, Sept. 12 John Robert MacInnis and Paul Landry travelled to Quebec city where they received the Medal of Bravery for their actions.

News/North: Is it easy for you to talk about what you did? Would you like to talk about what happened?

Paul Landry: I will be very brief. I don't like talking about it. I was guiding a hiking trip in Auyuittuq National Park. I woke up in the morning and saw another group crossing a stream below the glacier. Four of the five hikers were swept out into the lake. Three of them were huddled together and the fourth was a little further out. I asked Peter, one of my clients, to help me. We swam out to the three, which was pretty easy. The fourth was farther out and we weren't sure if we could swim out there and swim back. In the end we decided to swim out there. We got them out of the water and took off their wet clothes and threw some sleeping bags on them.

John Robert MacInnis: We were coming home after dinner with our family. We saw smoke coming from a four apartment complex across the street. There were flames shooting out from the top of the roof. We knew the last two apartments were empty. We saw a light in one of the apartments so I went in there. I found two brothers in the kitchen and they were just dazed and confused. It took about 15 minutes to get them out of the house. There was another brother in the building. I took a flash light and searched the building. I walked around the first floor and there was nobody there. I went up to the second floor, and there was a lot of smoke and flames. I searched two of the three rooms upstairs and then I had to get out because of the smoke. The third brother didn't make it out of the fire.

N/N: When you look back on these incidents is there a lot of bad memories or fear? How do you deal with that?

PL: I didn't feel the fear at the time. I led a group through the park last year, it was the first time I've been back. I crossed the river where the people fell in. There was water up to my knees and it hurt. All I thought was, 'How the hell did I do that?' What I really remember about the incident was how beautiful the day was. Somehow we're able to block out the fear and move on.

JRM: There was no fear at the time. It was just a reactionary thing. It was hard for the longest time to look across the street. Over the years they have built a new house, and there's no evidence of what happened.

N/N: Do you feel any different now that you've received the medal?

PL : No, I don't. I felt different after the incident. I felt more confident in my abilities and to be able to react to situations. I hope that I don't have to be in that position ever again.

JRM: I also felt proud afterwards knowing that in another situation I could react. It's like when people ask you what you would do if you if this happened. You don't know until you were there. We know what we would do.

N/N: What was the best part about the ceremony?

PL : There wasn't one thing that stood out. It was a very Canadian experience. There was someone from all across the country.

JRM: I was very proud to receive the medal. It was very hard to fight back the tears when the Governor General pinned the medal on my chest.

N/N: What do you plan to do with the medal?

PL : I don't think I will never wear it. I don't like to talk about what I did.

Mattie wants me to hang the certificate in our bedroom.

JRM: Because I was in the military, I have to wear the medal. I'm very proud to wear it.

I plan to have the certificate framed.