Meritorious Service Decorations - Military Division
Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 1995-07-26
Invested on: 1995-09-15
Major Plante was the military spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda during the civil war in 1994. As the massacres rapidly caught the attention of the international media, he escorted media representatives across fighting lines on a daily basis. Danger was commonplace. On April 20, 1994, he led a team that rescued a number of Canadian citizens from roaming bands of militiamen. During his assignment, he was an effective spokesperson for the United Nations and a visible symbol of the military professionalism of Canadians.