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Canadian Military Awards

By The Armorer on April 27, 2007 | | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (1)

The Canadian Army is as involved in the GWOT as ours, given the comparative sizes. And being involved in more sustained combat operations than they have been for a long while prior, they are generating their new generation of heroes, however understated it all may be. The following list is instructive, I think, in terms of what it says about the Canadian Army.

To wit: Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, announced nine Military Valour Decorations to members of the Canadian Forces who have displayed gallantry and devotion to duty in combat, and seven Mention in Dispatches to individuals whose specific achievements have brought hono(u)r to the Canadian Forces and to Canada.

Specifically, the Star of Military Valour (2nd highest award for valor, equivalent to our Distinguished Service Cross)

Corporal Sean Teal, S.M.V.

Private Jess Randall Larochelle, S.M.V.

The Medal for Military Valour, a Silver Star equivalent:

Corporal Chad Gerald Chevrefils, M.M.V.

Corporal Jason Funnell, M.M.V.

Master-Corporal Sean Hubert Niefer, M.M.V.

Private Michael Patrick O’Rourke, M.M.V.

Corporal Clinton John Orr, M.M.V.

Captain Michael John Reekie, M.M.V.

Corporal Joseph Jason Lee Ruffolo, M.M.V.

Mentioned in Dispatches: We don't really have an exact equivalent to map this to. It can be awarded for performance or valor - kind of the like Bronze Star and Bronze Star with V.

Sergeant Brian Vincent Adams, C.D.

Corporal William Jonathan Elliott

Corporal Nigel Jason Gregg

Master-Corporal Richard James Alan Harris, C.D.

Sergeant Dan James Holley

Master-Corporal Dwayne Robert Alvin Orvis

Private Timmy Dean Wilkins

Aside from my habit of honoring our allies, what's my point, in that it says something about the Canadian Forces? In this group of honorees at least, there is only one officer. Suggesting that not only are Canadian forces doing good combat planning, that doesn't require the officer leaders on the ground in the fight to do extraordinary things to retrieve a situation, they also are not just patting each other on the back a lot. Nor is there an indication of there being that kind of officer the soldiers dislike - the Glory Hound.

The honors are going to the group most involved in direct combat at the personal level, where ordinary operations can require extraordinary effort: the part of the junior participants and their direct leaders, the non-commissioned officers.

It's a single datum, and I'm not going to go researching Canadian medal stats - I'm just making an observation on things military.

You can keep track of our lot's heroes at the DoD website Heroes In The War On Terror (which blogger pressure, among other things, caused to be created),

H/t, CAPT H, and The Torch.

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Canadian Military Awards from on April 27, 2007 1:22 PM

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5 Comments

By Damian on April 27, 2007 9:59 AM
From a private e-mail I received late last year: "When the storm struck, Private (Pte) Jess Larochelle was in the south most machine gun pit. The enemy attack washed over him like a rogue wave. His position erupted in explosions, as bullets and shrapnel hissed through the air around him. Larochelle thought he was hallucinating as he saw seemingly mini-explosions go off above his outpost. Little did he realize at the time that the enemy was using RPG munitions that emitted mini cluster rounds from its 75mm warhead, which in turn exploded spraying deadly shrapnel much like an air-burst round. Despite the weight of fire he continued to fire at his invisible antagonists who were cloaked by the tree line. *** To get to 2 Section’s LAV he first had to pass by the southern most OP. [Platoon Commander Lt] Corby did not expect to find anyone alive. As he arrived at the bowl in the centre of the strongpoint position, which was also the casualty collection point, he was able to get eyes on the OP. At first glance it had appeared that the OP had been struck hard. He could not see anyone and the tarp that had been hung above the outpost to provide shade had been torn away by the fire and it hung in tattered rags. Close by he could see the empty casings of four M72 launchers. Corby called out twice to the OP. He finally got a response. Pte Larochelle poked his head up with his C-6 and confirmed he was “okay” and “by himself.” The platoon commander then directed Larochelle to provide covering fire so he could enter the OP. Larochelle then pointed out where he had been engaging the enemy with his C-9 LMG, the C-6 GPMG and the M72s. The firefight had been so brisk that Larochelle was down to his last half belt of 7.62mm GPMG ammunition. He had weathered the storm and continued to fire at any movement or weapon signature he could see. He also maintained his discipline and continued to observe his arcs of fire to ensure no enemy was approaching from the east, even though he was taking heavy fire from the west. Corby was humbled by the young soldier’s valiant efforts. However, he had no time to reflect on Larochelle’s courage – there was work to be done. Corby now instructed Larochelle to lay down more fire so he could make his final way to 2 Section’s (C/S 33B) LAV. Corby promised that when he returned he would bring additional ammo." A new Private, by himself in an OP (don't know how or why that was allowed to happen - although Lt Corby had only taken over the platoon three weeks earlier, due to casualties), under intense attack for more than half an hour and he conducts himself just about perfectly. You'll also note that none of the valour medal awardees have been in the CF long enough to earn their CD (a decoration given for twelve years of undetected mischief in uniform). That's a testament not only to their character, but to the recruiting and training system.
 
By Nicholas on April 27, 2007 10:49 AM
Excellent post, John. Thanks very much for making that most significant point. I've linked to this post from my temporary blog and I'll copy that post over once the main blog comes back online.
 
By BillT on April 27, 2007 10:51 AM
That's a testament not only to their character, but to the recruiting and training system. But it attests their character, first, foremost and uppermost. A recruiting and training system can only shape the character that already exists -- it can temper the metal, but it can't manufacture the mettle...
 
By kat-missouri on April 27, 2007 2:42 PM
You know, I've been meaning to write something about the changes I saw at the Centcom and MNF-I sites when I came back to blogging after a long hiatus. I am always lambasting the military and government for their failures, but they finally did respond, as John notes, to the pressure. That old website for Centcom was a horror.
 
By Damian on April 27, 2007 3:29 PM
Bill, of course you're right. What I was trying to get at was that we're recruiting young men and women of that calibre, and not the dead-end dregs of society as some in the press would have the public believe. And once we get them, we train them to take care of details like disciplined arcs of fire, we train them to be able to respond effectively under fire by themselves at the rank of Private for extended periods of time - you don't manage that feat without training. But of course, you have to start with the character in the first place.
 
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