Soldiers honoured for battlefield bravery

[57Chevy]

Two-year-old steals the show during ceremony at Rideau Hall:

A two-year-old girl stole the show Friday at Rideau Hall, interrupting Gov. Gen Michaëlle Jean as she spoke to a room of military personnel on hand for a ceremony honouring the brave efforts of Canadian soldiers.


Dressed in a pretty lilac dress, Rose Dallas Arsenault walked up and down the aisle talking loudly to the dozens of soldiers who were seated awaiting the presentations of Military Valour Decorations and Meritorious Service Decorations.


In an unusual break in protocol, Jean stopped reading her prepared speech, stepped down from the podium, and approached the girl who was causing a stir in the stately ballroom of Rideau Hall.


“Who’s your daddy?” she asked the young girl, much to the delight of the family members of military soldiers and dignitaries, including Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk and U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson.


The Governor General turned around and returned to the podium to continue her speech, but not before Rose said in a loud voice, “Bye.”


Obviously delighted by the brief encounter, the Governor General commented that “she’s very much alive, she’s great.”

Rose is the daughter of Warrant Officer Russell Arsenault — based at Petawawa — who received a Meritorious Service Medal. He was one of 50 soldiers receiving medals in the afternoon ceremony.


“It’s very nice to get rewarded for actions you did and the way things unfolded,” Arsenault, 41, said in an interview after the ceremony.


He was in Afghanistan with the Battle Group from September 2008 to April 2009. As acting commander on several occasions, Arsenault led his platoon through a number of challenging assaults by the enemy and he was commended for his “sense of cohesion” within his platoon.


“I tried to be calm during that experience, but that comes with the training and the experience. There’s always a sense of danger when you’re out there, but you rely on your training and the people around you.”


Arsenault said he was very happy his wife, daughter, mother and mother-in-law were at the ceremony.

“I didn’t want my daughter to steal the show from the Governor General and the other people getting awards,” Arsenault said.


“The Governor General was happy for me. She just said to enjoy the medal and share it with my family.”

Master Cpl. Jeremy Pinchin of Pembroke received the Star of Military Valour for his heroic actions on Nov. 16, 2008.

Pinchin’s small sniper detachment was on an isolated rooftop in Zhari district, protecting the southern flank of a joint Canadian-Afghan patrol. The patrol was attacked by a group of insurgents and after a fellow soldier suffered a life-threatening wound, Pinchin gave him first-aid and protected him from the enemy, risking his own life.


Others who received the Medal of Military Valour were Cpl. Richard Anderson, Sgt. Russell Gregoire, Cpl. Mark McLaren (deceased, the medal was presented to his brother, Miles Gordon McLaren), Sgt. David Tedford and Master Cpl. Michael Trauner.


Tedford’s patrol was ambushed in Kandahar province on Oct. 8, 2008. He was providing cover for his troops when his vehicle’s main cannon jammed. As one of the gunners tried to fix the weapon, Tedford rose out of the turret to return fire with a machine-gun that was atop the vehicle. It was determined that his actions and determination to suppress the enemy through the firefight contributed to a successful withdrawal.


© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen


Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Soldiers+honoured+battlefield+bravery/3114908/story.html#ixzz0q85XlTTU





[Edit to correct spelling of "Soldiers" in title as it was driving me nuts.]

 

[tomahawk6]

Good stuff. 

 

[vonGarvin]

Rusty Arsenault!  Well done!  ;D


to all of you!

 

[392]

The full list of recipients and citations is here.

 

[TimBit]

Congrats to all the recipients. I'm real proud to be in uniform every time I read these  ;D

Kudos on a job well done 

 

[Pusser]

It was a shame they didn't show little Rose on TV that night.  She was a howl!  ;D

 

[392]

She was a howl!

Yes she was

 

[wildman0101]

congratulations to all
job well done(salute)
thank-you
scoty b

 

[OldSolduer]

Congratulations troops!!

Well done Rose!!

 

[cn]

Interesting to read all the citations. 

Well done to all.  :yellow:

 

[SoldierInTheMaking]

Well done Soldier's!
:salute to you all.

 

[Edward Campbell]

Statement
Statement by the Minister of National Defence on the death of three Canadian soldier
NR–08.087 - December 5, 2008

OTTAWA - The Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, issued the following statement today on the death of three Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan:

"It is with deep sadness that I learned of the deaths of Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson, Corporal Mark Robert McLaren and Private Demetrios Diplaros. These brave soldiers were attacked while conducting road sweeps with the Afghan National Army as part of our efforts to train and mentor these developing troops through the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team.

Today, Canada lost three fine soldiers. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends in their time of grief. Through their work as mentors for the Afghan National Army, these brave men were doing their part to ensure that Afghanistan will develop its own capacity to achieve and maintain peace and stability.

The sacrifices being made to help stabilize southern Afghanistan are tragic. We salute our military men and women, their families, and all those Canadians who have served their country in this tremendously important mission.

In grieving our losses, Canada remains determined that the courage and sacrifice of these individuals will continue to make a real difference for Afghans and for our own security. We have been called to serve in this nation at the request of its democratically elected government, under a mandate from the United Nations. 

Canadians, and the Government of Canada, stand proudly in support our Canadian Forces members as they strive to bring safety and stability back to Afghanistan.
Their sacrifices will not be forgotten.”

-30-

Warrant Officer Wilson, Corporal McLaren and Private Diplaros were from 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ontario and served as members of Task Force Kandahar’s Operational Mentor and Liaison Team in Afghanistan.

Further: I just received this on The Regimental net:

On Monday 09 June 2014 the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Corporal McLaren M.M.V., a “Hero Class” mid-shore patrol vessel, will be officially dedicated at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (see picture of vessel below). The CCGS Corporal McLaren M.M.V. has been named in honour of Corporal Mark Robert McLaren, M.M.V., of Peterborough, Ontario. Corporal McLaren was killed in action on 05 December 2008, in the Arghandab District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, when his armoured vehicle was struck by a massive roadside improvised explosive device (IED). He, as well as Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson, and Private Demetrios Diplaros lost their lives in this incident.  All three were members of the OMLT (Operational, Mentor and Liaison Team). Corporal McLaren had been serving on his second operational tour in Afghanistan.  He would be decorated for his heroic actions in an engagement that had occurred on 06 November 2008. On this date Corporal McLaren’s joint Canadian and Afghan National Army patrol was ambushed. The team’s interpreter had been seriously wounded and was paralysed in an exposed position that was swept by enemy fire. Corporal McLaren had selflessly crawled ten meters through enemy fire to aid the injured interpreter. He then extracted the wounded man to a safe location and there administered first aid. “Corporal McLaren's courage and selfless devotion to his team prevented the interpreter's immediate loss and allowed for his safe evacuation”. For this heroic action Corporal Mark Robert McLaren was subsequently awarded the Medal of Military Valour. Corporal Mark McLaren was born on 07 September 1985 at Toronto, Ontario. Peterborough, Ontario would become his home town. He enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces in the summer of 2002 as a soldier with the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment. In October 2007, Corporal McLaren had joined 1st Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment (1 RCR).