Meritorious Service Decorations - Military Division
Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 2006-07-06
Invested on: 2007-02-19
Co-recipient: Master-Corporal Jason MacKinnon, M.S.M., C.D.
On July 28, 2003, search and rescue technicians Master-Corporal MacKinnon and Sergeant Payne displayed unwavering fortitude while assisting five crew members from a disabled sailing vessel in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, near Grande-Rivière, Quebec. Despite winds in excess of 35 knots and violent waves that threatened to capsize the vessel, the two men conducted individual hoist operations in the high seas to rescue three adults and two children from the unstable sailboat. Master-Corporal MacKinnon and Sergeant Payne displayed perseverance and outstanding professionalism in the performance of their first tour of duty as search and rescue technicians.