Meritorious Service Decorations - Military Division
Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 1995-03-10
Invested on: 1995-05-31
Lieutenant-Commander Paterson was an operational and intelligence staff officer with the Standing Naval Force Atlantic for over a year, beginning in 1993, mostly in support of the maritime embargo against the former Yugoslavia in the Adriatic Sea. In a sophisticated and technically complex environment, where numerous shore and carrier-based aircraft were continually present, his performance was critical to the overall success of the mission. His superb evaluations and predictions of the operating patterns of the Serbian-Montenegrin forces were crucial to the effective positioning of allied forces at sea. He excelled in all of his responsibilities, making a significant personal contribution to the success of the United Nations embargo.