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The soldier standing next to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the National War memorial when he was shot and killed last week has returned to Ottawa to finish his one-month posting at the National War Memorial.

Cpl. Branden Stevenson and Cirillo were guarding the memorial last Wednesday when Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot at the unarmed soldiers before he stormed Parliament Hill and was shot and killed.

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NDP MP Pat Martin told the House of Commons on Wednesday that Zehaf-Bibeau first fired his gun at Stevenson but missed.

Martin said that Stevenson, the son of two of his constituents, should be honoured for chasing after Zehaf-Bibeau before turning his attention to his dying friend.

Martin said Stevenson instructed bystanders to put pressure on the gunshot wound as they tried to revive Cirillo, which showed both courage and professionalism during a time of crisis.

“I ask my colleagues in the House to recognize and pay tribute to a brave young man who has suffered a terrible emotional trauma and great loss in seeing his best friend murdered at his side,” Martin said.

Martin said the best friends went to school together, joined the reserves at the same time and volunteered to stand guard at the cenotaph.