HELENA - Five Montanans were honored for their heroism Monday, with Gov. Brian Schweitzer presenting each with the state's Medal of Valor and a framed certificate.

The unusually modest four men and a woman said they did what was required in an emergency and weren't seeking any personal glory.

Their families and friends joined Schweitzer, Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger, Maj. Gen. Randy Mosley, members of the governor's staff and other state employees for the ceremony. It featured a Montana National Guard color guard, while the Helena High School's Ambiance Women's Choir sang "Wind Beneath My Wings."

"I am honored, humbled, to be in the presence of true Montana heroes," Schweitzer said. "What makes this state distinct, what makes this country great, is ordinary citizens who conduct extraordinary deeds, who put other citizens before their own health."

Governors have awarded the Medals of Valor since 1985. The latest honored were:

n Tyler Grimm, who at 1:30 a.m. on June 1, 2004, was driving on U.S. 93 to deliver bundles of Missoulian newspapers when he spotted a fire on the side of the road. After pulling over to investigate, he heard a scream in a car for help. Grimm disregarded his own safety and pulled a man out of the fiery car to save his life.

"I'm overwhelmed," Grimm said. "It happened a little over a year ago. Life goes on and you kind of forget about it. It's such a privilege to meet the governor and lieutenant governor."

Grimm, a pharmacy tech at St. Patrick's Hospital, said he would show the awards to members of Boy Scout Troop 4 in Missoula, where he's an assistant scoutmaster.

While it's nice to be recognized, Grimm said thoughts of glory never entered his mind as he ran to the burning car.

n Joshua Jackson, who on April 5, 2004, pulled a woman from the railroad tracks in Wolf Point as an Amtrak train approached. She had slipped and fallen on the tracks before most bystanders realized it.

"I wasn't going to watch her die there," Jackson said.

He said his instincts took over as he grabbed the woman and moved her to safety.

Jackson called the ceremony beautiful and said it was "and more than I expected."

n Austin Stallard and Niki Alexander, who on Oct. 5, 2004, saved the lives of a mother and her 3-year-old son whose house caught fire about a block away in Livingston.

Stallard, home on leave from the U.S. Marine Corps, relied on his fire training and used a garden hose on the flames. Alexander, who dates Stallard's brother, ignored a dispatcher's advice and ran in the house to help save the people.

"I'm proud of what I did, and I didn't expect any recognition," said Stallard, now a Marine stationed in Japan.

Added Alexander: "It was a great honor for such a small thing we did."

n Curt Wood, who on Aug. 11, 2004, tried to rescue two people in a car hit by a freight train near Chinook. Wood, unable to attend the ceremony, put his safety aside to extinguish the flaming vehicle. He'd suffered minor injuries in the futile attempt to save the people.

His daughter read a letter from Wood saying he felt "a certain amount of guilt for what I have or have not done." However, the families of the accident victims remember him honorably.

"But as I have learned, time heals," he said."