Meritorious Service Decorations - Military Division
Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 1997-07-18
Invested on: 1998-12-04
Colonel Bastien was the Commander of the 3 Wing CFB Bagotville, in July 1996, when torrential rains hit the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean area, in Quebec, causing massive flooding. He headed up a complex and difficult life-saving rescue operation and then placed the rest of the 3 Wing CFB Bagotville on early warning and assigned them in the task of ensuring that care and food were provided for thousands of homeless fellow citizens. During the ten-day rescue operation, over 40 medical evacuations were carried out, 2,030 people were evacuated, food and lodging were provided for over 3,000 individuals and over 34,000 pounds of supplies were transported to remote communities by airlift. The tremendous success of the SAGUENAY operation is largely attributable to Colonel Bastien's exceptional initiative, leadership, commitment and altruism. These remarkable qualities are to his credit and reflect honour on the Canadian Forces.