Vol. 133, No. 28 — July 10, 1999

GOVERNMENT HOUSE

MERITORIOUS SERVICE DECORATIONS

The Governor General, the Right Honourable ROMÉO LEBLANC, on the recommendation of the Chief of the Defence Staff, has awarded Meritorious Service Decorations (military division) as follows:

Meritorious Service Medal

COLONEL BERNARD HAROLD CHIP BOWNESS, M.S.M., C.D.
Ottawa, Ontario Cambodian Mine Action Centre

From July 1996 to July 1998, then LCol Bowness was Chief Adviser, Operations to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) in Phnom Penh. In that capacity, he acted as one of two senior international advisers to the Cambodian Director of CMAC and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Cambodia. He displayed an extraordinary grasp of the recent history and social structure of Cambodia. His tireless effort, innovative thinking and rare cultural sensitivity made an unprecedented contribution to gaining world-wide recognition for CMAC. LCol Bowness' proposal to establish a regional centre for third-country demining training, his world-wide technical coordination network, and his contributions to policy and doctrine for demining, have earned him an international reputation and brought great credit to both the Canadian Forces and Canada.

Meritorious Service Medal

MAJOR JOSEPH LÉONCE CHARLES BRANCHAUD, M.S.M., C.D.
Courcelette, Quebec 12^e Régiment Blindé du Canada Canadian Forces Base Valcartier

From May to November 1997, Maj Branchaud was a liaison officer at Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His excellent reports and preliminary analyses, under the dangerous conditions that prevailed during the fall of Kinshasa and the installation of a new government, were crucial to Canadian decisions with respect to this region. Maj Branchaud assumed the role of head of mission after the evacuation of the top-ranking official of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Thanks to his leadership, courage and initiative, he was able to ensure the safety and welfare of Canadians in this war-torn country and prepare for the reopening of the Canadian Embassy. He demonstrated the highest level of professional military skill at all times, working tirelessly under extremely difficult conditions. Maj Branchaud provided exemplary service to Canada and brought great honour to the Canadian Forces.

Meritorious Service Medal

MAJOR CHRISTOPHER THOMAS BROWN, M.S.M.
Greenwood, Nova Scotia 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron Greenwood

On November 13, 1996, Rescue 303, a Labrador helicopter and its crew, was tasked to search for a CH 421 Griffon helicopter, which was overdue from a medical evacuation in northern Labrador. Maj Brown, then Captain, the Aircraft Commander of Rescue 303, assembled the crew and began flight planning. They flew more than 1 000 nautical miles through hazardous weather conditions to complete the rescue of the four crew members of the crashed Griffon 421 helicopter. Despite an acute awareness of the hazards they faced, the crew persisted under the expert guidance of Maj Brown. His professionalism and decisiveness resulted in the successful completion of this difficult mission, bringing great credit to both his unit and the Canadian Forces.

LGEN (Ret'd) JAMES C. GERVAIS, C.M.M., C.D.
Deputy Secretary

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