TORONTO - He's an all-American hero with an all-Canadian pedigree.
Chris Jackson, a television news cameraman from Toronto, has been hailed by the Americans for his bravery in saving the life of a U.S. marine in Afghanistan last August.
Jackson, who was working for Fox News at the time, was travelling with American forces in Helmand province when their Humvee hit a roadside bomb.
Everyone inside got out except for the vehicle's commander, Sgt. Courtney Rauch, who was knocked unconscious. Despite suffering shrapnel wounds himself, Jackson went back into the burning vehicle and carried Rauch to safety.
On Tuesday, the U.S. marines awarded Jackson the U.S. navy's Distinguished Public Service award, the second-highest citation the U.S. navy gives to civilians, at a ceremony in Iraq.
The 35-year-old cameraman, who grew up in Scarborough, Ont. says he is "a little surprised by all the fuss." He says everyone would have done the same thing.
