Meritorious Service Cross
- Awarded on: October 5, 1987
- Invested on: November 25, 1987
Rank: Major
During August 1986, while employed as a Company Commander on United Nations peacekeeping duties in Nicosia, Cyprus, Major O'Brien was involved in three potentially volatile situations when ordered to re-establish a United Nations presence in a disputed area of the Buffer Zone. Each occurrence led to a confrontation with armed Turkish-Cypriot forces that were determined to proclaim sovereignty over the area. Despite physical abuse and numerous threats of death at gunpoint, he maintained his composure and, by exercising authority with restraint, successfully stabilized each situation. He thereby enabled the development of a successful conclusion to a long-standing problem.
