February 25, 2004OTTAWA–Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, today announced that three Meritorious Service Decorations (military division) will be awarded to individuals whose specific achievements have brought honour to the Canadian Forces and to Canada. Recipients will be invited to receive their decorations at a presentation ceremony to be held later this year.The Meritorious Service Decorations are separated into military and civil divisions, with two levels each: a medal and a cross. The military division recognizes individuals for their outstanding professionalism and for bringing honour to the Canadian Forces. The civil division recognizes individuals who have performed an exceptional deed or an activity that brought honour to their community or to Canada.These decorations are an important part of the Canadian Honours System and, like the Order of Canada, they recognize excellence. However, Meritorious Service Decorations honour either a single achievement or an activity over a specified period, while the Order of Canada focuses on lifetime achievement.The Meritorious Service Decorations are open to both Canadians and non-Canadians. Anyone may nominate an individual for the civil division of the Meritorious Service Decorations, while a commanding officer recommends possible candidates to a military advisory committee, which reviews nominations and submits names to the Chief of the Defence Staff. Nominations and awards may be made posthumously, but nominations for activities that occurred prior to June 1984, the year in which the honour was first created, are not accepted.On the recommendation of the Canadian Decorations Advisory Committee (Meritorious Service Decorations–military division), the Governor General is pleased to announce the following awards:Meritorious Service Decoration / Current Posting / Home Town Lieutenant-Colonel John David Mitchell, M.S.M., C.D. / Ottawa / North Bay, Ontario Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Lindsay Smith, O.M.M., M.S.M., C.D / Kingston / Trenton, Ontario Captain (N) Kelly Edward Williams, M.S.M., C.D. / Ottawa / Victoria, British Columbia -30-Media information Rideau Hall Press Office (613) 998-0287 or (613) 998-7280For further information on the recipients Department of National Defence Media Liaison Office (613) 996-2353 or (613) 996-2354Public information Chancellery of Honours Rideau Hall 1 800 465-6890Meritorious Service Medal (military division)Lieutenant-Colonel John David Mitchell, M.S.M., C.D. North Bay, Ontario Meritorious Service MedalLCol Mitchell was the Commanding Officer of the first Canadian Long Range Patrol Detachment deployed to the Arabian Gulf region during Operation APOLLO, from January to July 2002. Under his leadership, the unit contributed significantly to operations at sea in the global campaign against terrorism. He achieved this in spite of considerable adversity, a host nation with vastly different working norms and the complexity of integrating into a United States-led coalition operation. With diplomatic adroitness and outstanding professionalism, LCol Mitchell has led his aircrews to achieve an unprecedented mission completion rate by successfully detecting and locating elusive high-interest vessels. His achievements have brought great credit to the Canadian Forces and to Canada.Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Lindsay Smith, O.M.M., M.S.M., C.D. Trenton, Ontario Meritorious Service MedalLCol Smith was the Commanding Officer of the first Canadian Tactical Airlift Detachment deployed during Operation APOLLO from January to July 2002. He led the first ever six-month deployment of a CC130 Hercules Air Detachment into an austere desert airfield over 17,000 kilometres away and from which his crews flew almost daily into Afghanistan. LCol Smith's exceptional management skills and personal example were directly responsible for the unit's outstanding mission completion rate and unblemished safety record. Under his brilliant leadership, the unit served as an essential link in the air bridge, which sustained coalition and Canadian troops engaged in combat in Afghanistan, bringing great credit to the Canadian Forces and to Canada.Captain (N) Kelly Edward Williams, M.S.M., C.D. Victoria, British Columbia Meritorious Service MedalWith outstanding leadership as Commanding Officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship WINNIPEG during Operation AUGMENTATION from March to September 2001, Capt (N) Williams, then Cdr enabled the ship and her crew to excel in all facets of her involvement as part of the USS CONSTELLATION Battle Group operations in the Arabian Gulf. He led his ship's company as the Maritime Interception Commander during 32 non-compliant boardings, which resulted in the seizure of 66,000 metric tons of contraband Iraqi oil, a first for a Canadian ship. Capt (N) Williams' professionalism and dedication to duty contributed significantly to the excellent relationship that continues between the Canadian and United States navies. His focus on the mission reflected highly on our military traditions, bringing great credit to himself, to the Canadian Forces and to Canada.
