Meritorious Service Decorations - Military Division
Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 2010-06-23
Invested on: 2010-06-28
Co-recipients: Master Corporal Joseph Arsenault, M.S.M., C.D.
Captain Jeffrey Middleton Powell, M.S.M.
Master Corporal Jeffrey Gordon Spence, M.S.M., C.D.
On November 19, 2008, the aircrew of Rescue 903, a Cormorant Search and Rescue helicopter, rescued three stranded sailors from their rapidly sinking dredging barge off the coast of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The aircrew consisted of aircraft commander, Captain Powell; first officer Major Bouchard; flight engineer Master Corporal Arsenault; and Master Corporal Spence, a search and rescue technician under training. Flying through hazardous, icy conditions, with winds of up to 40 knots and six-metre seas, the aircraft arrived on scene with minimal fuel to spare. Over the next hour, the crew proceeded to hoist the three sailors onboard the aircraft, one by one, as darkness approached. Shortly after the successful rescue, while the aircraft was proceeding to shore, the barge was reported sunk. Tremendous effort, focus on the mission and the utmost in aircrew coordination resulted in three lives being saved that day.