Meritorious Service Decorations - Military Division
Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 1995-03-10
Invested on: 1995-05-31
Private Badanai was returning in a small-wheeled vehicle from a routine escort mission in Croatia on December 31, 1994, when he and his passenger were suddenly fired upon by approximately twenty armed Serb soldiers gathered on both sides of the road. Despite the agony of multiple injuries, Private Badanai accelerated through and clear of the ambush and drove his badly damaged vehicle thirteen kilometres, in darkness, to reach the Unit Medical Station. His initiative and determination under fire, devotion to duty, and calm, courageous actions saved both his own and his passenger's lives.