Corporal Joseph Étienne Denis Haché

  • Québec, Quebec, Canada

Meritorious Service Decorations - Civil Division

  • Meritorious Service Medal

    • Awarded on: May 9, 2000
    • Invested on: September 15, 2000

    RCMP Corporal Joseph Étienne Denis Haché, M.S.M., Québec, Que.
    RCMP Staff Sergeant Bertrand Hudon, M.S.M., Fredericton, N.B.
    Meritorious Service Medal (civil division)

    In 1999, S/Sgt Hudon, then Sergeant, was working with the Haiti Bilateral Project, and Cpl Haché with the UN Civilian Police Mission(UNCIVPOL) in Haiti. On March 15, they were dispatched to the site of a UN helicopter crash on a remote mountain top near Dos d’Orange. Undeterred by rain, high winds, fog, and nightly temperatures of three to five degrees Celsius, these two identification specialists persevered for three days with little protection from the elements to complete their difficult forensic task. With air transportation no longer possible, they then walked eleven hours through dangerous mountainous terrain to reach the nearest town, where ground transportation awaited them. Cpl Haché and S/Sgt Hudon exhibited professionalism and leadership skills that have established the RCMP as a key element in international peacekeeping.