Heartbreak and Heroism: Canadian Search and Rescue Stories

Allen H. Soroka is assistant law librarian at the University of British
Columbia Law Library and an avid sportsman.

Heartbreak and Heroism is a marvelous account of the Canadian forces
search and rescue troops. Melady, having interviewed many of the SAR
technicians, has woven highlights of their stories into a grand tapestry
depicting this heroic branch of the Canadian military, and illustrates
this history with photographs.

These are the stories of the brave folks who volunteer for the
search-and-rescue squadrons, who routinely jump from helicopters into
mountainous seas to rescue capsized sailors, who parachute into remote
regions to rescue the lost or injured. Newspapers sometimes cover these
rescue missions, but in all-too-brief accounts. Melady’s stories are
rich in detail and successfully capture the forces’ heroic efforts.