Eight Montanans who saved the lives of three children from fires and a teen-ager from drowning received state Medal of Valor awards Tuesday from Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

"Today, we Montanans honor Montanans who are ordinary Montanans but who accomplished extraordinary deeds," Gov. Brian Schweitzer said at a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda.

He presented plaques and engraved medals to the eight winners, who received a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 125 people.

Those honored were Karl Thalmann, Steve Mitchell, Michelle Lingenfelter, Jon Straughn, Gene Pizzini and Ken Sargent, all of Helena, and Jade Hosko and Keith Mullan of Stevensville.

Here are their accounts as compiled by Schweitzer's office, along with State Bureau interviews with some medal recipients:

On the first day of school at Eastgate Elementary School in East Helena in 2006, a small girl left inside a vehicle played with matches and started a fire. Lingenfelter, walking through the parking lot, noticed puffs of smoke coming from the vehicle and, later, thick gray clouds and flames. She heard the cries of the young child and an infant in the back seat.

The door was locked, but Lingenfelter reached through the window to unlock it and hollered for help. The smoke and her shouts led Pizzini, Sargent and Straughn to the scene. They worked to free the older child first. The rescuers had more trouble with the infant because of the difficulty of undoing all the car-seat straps.

The men used their own bodies to shield the children from the flames until they could remove them from the burning car. One man even crawled into the SUV to make sure no other kids were inside.

"I didn't think twice about it," Sargent said of the rescue. "I heard them crying for help and just kind of jumped in the vehicle with them."

Added Pizzini: "I just saw the kids, and there was no question with what you're going to do."

Thalmann and Mitchell of Helena rescued a 5-year-old girl from her grandfather's house in May 2006.

The house caught fire when the grandfather cut a mattress in half when trying to remove it from the house. Mitchell, a chimney sweep, was driving by and saw the house on fire.

He called 911 and learned from the grandfather that the young girl was inside. Thalmann, the next-door neighbor, joined him.

"I heard her screaming in there," Mitchell said.

The front door was locked, so they booted down the door and crawled through the smoke to grab her and take her to safety.

During Christmas break near Stevensville in 2005, teenagers Hosko and Boone Chambers went duck hunting along the Bitterroot River. Chambers took his father's shotgun, shot a duck that went down on the other side of the river.

They crossed the river to fetch the duck, fell in the water, floated downstream 1,000 yards and then became worried when their waders filled with water.

They were swept into a icy pool 30 feet deep. Hosko was able to grab a rock and pull himself out, while Chambers, holding on to his father's shotgun, couldn't get out. Hosko jumped back in the river to pull Chambers up for air several times. Hosko came out again, shed most of his clothes and jumped back in to help his friend.

Meanwhile, Mullan was walking along the river and spotted the two -- his fellow Stevensville High School students.

Chambers finally let go of the shotgun, and was able to rise to the surface and pull himself out with their encouragement.

Mullan, on the opposite side of the river, found a safe place for them to cross the river.

He helped the two halfway across, packed them, their gear and their dog into his vehicle. He turned on the heat full blast and drove them to safety.

"I think it's common sense," Mullan said. "You see someone in danger, and you do what you do."

Hosko put it this way about rescuing Chambers: "I didn't want to see him die. I didn't care about myself."

These awards for the Medals of Honor for 2006 had been delayed for several reasons. The governor's office expects to have a similar ceremony this fall for the 2007 honorees.