Meritorious Service Decorations - Military Division
Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 1996-06-26
Invested on: 1996-09-13
Co-recipients: Lieutenant-Commander William K. Erhardt, M.S.M.
Sergeant Frederick Vallis, M.S.M., C.D.
On December 2, 1995, Lieutenant-Commander Erhardt of the United States Navy, then Lieutenant, Captain Sharpe, then Lieutenant, and Sergeant Vallis were part of the Sea King helicopter rescue team that saved thirty people from the sinking Motor Vessel Mount Olympus. The vessel had been caught in a severe Atlantic storm almost 2,000 km southeast of Nova Scotia. Hampered by the early morning darkness and severe weather conditions, Lieutenant Erhardt, the co-pilot, assisted in keeping the helicopter steady while Lieutenant Sharpe and Sergeant Vallis operated the rescue hoist. Their professionalism and skill were critical to this life-saving mission.