NR - 13.170 - May 21, 2013
OTTAWA – Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander Royal Canadian Navy, was awarded the Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) by Admiral Jonathan Greenert, United States Navy Chief of Naval Operations, during a full honours ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard on April 26. Vice-Admiral Maddison was recognized for his dedication to superior maritime partnership and security cooperation efforts with the United States during his time as the Commander Royal Canadian Navy.
“As Commander Royal Canadian Navy, Vice-Admiral Maddison has served with distinction, improving Canada’s partnership efforts with the United States Navy during a very demanding period with a rapidly changing naval environment,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “This honour demonstrates the very positive relationship that exists between our Navy and the United States Navy.”
“I am very proud of Vice-Admiral Maddison’s achievements and the recognition our close American friends have bestowed upon him. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and they reflect great credit upon himself, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Armed Forces,” added General Tom Lawson, the Chief of the Defence Staff. “Vice-Admiral Maddison has worked tirelessly to improve our interoperability with the United States Navy, and to foster the growth of the excellent relationships we now enjoy with all of the Navies around the world with whom we frequently work.”
Vice-Admiral Maddison has long emphasized the need to work together with our allies. “Strategic cooperation begins in trust and respect: through frank discussions of our challenges, but with a firm commitment to seeing past those issues that may divide us,” he said. “As instruments of national policy, our navies will always work towards what I firmly believe is among the greatest public good of this globalized era—the promotion of good order at sea through the regulation of our ocean commons.”
The Legion of Merit may be awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States or of a friendly foreign nation who has distinguished himself/herself by exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements to the United States. The medal was established by Act of Congress on July 20, 1942, and in accordance with Executive Order 9260, dated October 29, 1942.
Previous recipients of the Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) include such luminaries as General William Westmoreland, General George Patton, and General Colin Powell. Canadian recipients include General Harry Crerar, Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes, Major-General Georges Vanier who later became Governor General of Canada, Major-General George R. Pearkes, holder of the Victoria Cross, and more recently, General Walter Natynczyk, General Paul Manson, Lieutenant-General J.C. Gervais, Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, to name but a few.
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