Pte. Jess Larochelle, SMV
On October 14, 2006 while manning an observation post, Private LaRochelle’s position was
overwhelmed by more than 20 Taliban insurgents. As Private Larochelle was firing at enemy
positions on three flanks with his C6 machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade hit his position,
knocking him unconscious. When he came to, he discovered two members of his section had
been killed and four others wounded. Realizing that he must re-engage the enemy or risk being
overrun, he dragged himself back to the C6 under continued fire.
The slight 20 year old regained his firing position and prepared to continue peppering the enemy only to discover that the C6 had been destroyed by the explosion. Beside him were fifteen unused M72 rocket launchers, and he was very fortunate that none had detonated. Disregarding his own safety and exposing himself to accurate enemy fire, Private Larochelle launched all the rockets at his disposal, driving off the enemy and forcing them to retreat. His actions saved the lives of the remainder of his section.
Later that the next day after the conflict had ended, Private Larochelle performed a final honour for his fallen battle buddies, helping carry caskets of the lost Canadians in the ramp ceremony. Eight men lifted the flag draped casket onto their shoulders, to the cadence of “Flowers of the Forest”, and initiating their repatriation. Only after this ceremony was complete, Private Larochelle came forward to seek medical attention. The doctors on base determined that Private Larochelle had fractured vertebra in his back. In extreme pain he silently carried his friend, comrade, brother in arms onto the plane. With a broken back, he had fired all those rockets, winning the battle. The impact of the rockets alone must have been excruciating and probably added to his injuries, which were so severe that he ultimately released from military service.
Private Larochelle was brought back to Petawawa, presented with the Star of Valour, and his
release papers. True to form, Private Larochelle’s story is the oft repeated unassuming professional that has a single moment of extraordinary bravery. Private Larochelle went above and beyond the call of duty, exhibited unwavering determination, and fulfills the criteria of the Canadian Victoria Cross: bravery in the face of the enemy, turning the course of a battle, determination despite injury, and saving the lives of his section despite his own sacrifices.
How it started...
Valour In The Presence of the Enemy began to advocate Private Larochelle’s case in December
2020 on social media and the response has been overwhelming. One soldier in his platoon came
forward and indicated that the 25mm cannons on the LAV 3 armored vehicles near Private
Larochelle’s gun turret had malfunctioned and Private Larochelle was the only sustained fire
preventing the flank from falling. This new information led to an article that was published
published in Legion Magazine and that article went viral as tens of tens of thousands of
Canadians shared his story. For the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the 15th anniversary of
Operation MEDUSA, General Rick Hillier hosted a podcast episode about Private Larochelle,
earning CBC coverage.
Subsequent to the recent publicity, our team has been in touch with Private Larochelle’s brother
who provided new details that were not submitted in the original account that led to the awarding
of the Medal of Valour. According to Private Larochelle, the day before the battle, a vehicle was
blown up by an IED and members of his section had to accompany it back to base, leaving the
platoon undermanned, despite intelligence indicating a looming attack on the base. When asked
for volunteers for the observation post, only Private Larochelle stepped forward, knowing that an
attack was imminent. These details were not in his citation and were not known at the time.
However, with this knowledge and new evidence in hand, we believe that Private Larochelle
should be considered for the Canadian Victoria Cross.
