Jess Larochelle

Jess Randall Larochelle SMV (November 10, 1982 - August 30, 2023) was a Canadian soldier who was awarded the Star of Military Valour for bravery in the War in Afghanistan in 2006. A campaign was launched in 2021 to lobby for an upgrade of his award to the Canadian Victoria Cross and remains ongoing.

Early life Jess Randall Larochelle was born in 1982 in Restoule, Ontario, the son of Randall Larochelle and Anna Guitard.

He was later discharged from the Canadian Army for the wounds he incurred that day. For the rest of his life, his health was poor. He also had Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jess Larochelle had been suffering from medical complications due to his injuries for many years, and he died on August 30, 2023, near Nipissing, Ontario. Following his death there was a resurgence of the campaign to award him a posthumous Victoria Cross.