Meritorious Service Decorations - Military Division
Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 1992-07-30
Invested on: 1993-02-12
On December 28, 1990 a climber became stranded approximately 800 feet up a frozen waterfall in the Whistler-Pemberton area, British Columbia, hanging precariously from an ice wall for more than eight hours. All ground-based rescue efforts failed. Late at night, with the help of flares from an overhead aircraft, Master Corporal Reeves approached the victim cautiously, suspended 150 feet under a Labrador helicopter. Unable to reach the climber directly due to an ice overhand, Master Corporal Reeves directed the aircraft to place him adjacent to the victim. He attempted to climb horizontally under the overhand and lost his hold and fell away. Nearing exhaustion, he approached from the front and managed to extend a rope to the victim. Master Corporal Reeves then assisted the climber into the rescue collar. The pair then swung away, spinning violently, until clear of the cliff. Once hoisted aboard, Master Corporal Reeves collapsed from exhaustion and exposure. The victim's life had been saved.