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At the Béteille barracks in Rodez, a ceremony took place in the presence of the prefect of Aveyron to honor several gendarmes, authors of acts of courage and dedication.
The events occurred on Thursday July 25, around 3:30 p.m. While following a bus traveling near Campagnac, on the RD37, gendarmes Alix L., Patrick G. and Kévin B. noticed that smoke was escapes from the engine of the vehicle, which is transporting German tourists returning from Lourdes.
Immediately, the vehicle was stopped and the three gendarmes evacuated the 26 occupants, some of whom were elderly and disabled. Three minutes later, the bus completely burst into flames, while tourists and driver were safe about a hundred meters away. For this act, Alix L. and Patrick G. received from the hands of the prefect the medal for act of courage and dedication, bronze level, in the courtyard of the Béteille barracks.
Their young colleague Kévin B., deputy gendarme at the time of the events, was unable to receive his medal because he was currently in training. “They may have saved everyone”summarizes Colonel Brachet, head of the Aveyron gendarmerie group, at the maneuver of this ceremony.
Several other distinctions were awarded, in this case letters of congratulations from the group commander or the division general. Squadron leader Thomas Maugard was thus honored for his action in New Aquitaine during demonstrations against water reservoirs, in the same way as several of his colleagues who intervened, in September 2024, to search for (and find) a young woman. depressed girl who has already made several suicide attempts. This ceremony was an opportunity for the gendarmes to greet the prefect Charles Giusti, who is leaving the department to join Eure. “I'm going to serve elsewhere, and you know the meaning of that word. I wanted to greet you all and thank you”he declared in front of the gendarmes.
Colonel Brachet, paraphrasing the Greek author Euripides, will in turn greet the prefect with these words: “Time does not erase the trace of the great prefect that you were for your gendarmes”before the applause of the gendarmes rang out in the direction of Charles Giusti.
