1997 Order of Military Merit Recipients

On May 29, 1998, the Governor General of Canada presented the Order of Military Merit to 93 members of the Canadian Regular and Reserve Forces. This presentation brought together a very interesting group of military personnel with outstanding medal groups. The highlights of these groups are outlined below.

MGen Joseph Robert Alaine Pierre Forand, CMM, SC, MSC, CD

MGen Forand was awarded the Star of Courage in 1974 as a Captain with the R22eR in Cyprus in 1974. He becomes the first recipient of the Star of Courage to receive the CMM. To date, only one OMM recipient and two MMM recipients have received the Star of Courage:

• Captain Keith Trevor Gathercole, OMM, SC, CD
• CPO1 John Lorne McIntosh, MMM, SC, CD
• WO Paul Anthony Baiden, MMM, SC, CD

He is the second CMM appointee to receive a Canadian Bravery Decoration, the first being:

• MGen Guy Henri Joseph Lessard, CMM, MB, CD who received his MB in Cyprus at the same time MGen Forand received his SC.

MGen Forand was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross as the Commander of Sector South in Croatia. Only one other person has received the Order of Military Merit, a Canadian Bravery award and a Meritorious Service Decoration:

• MWO Joseph Arnold Edwin MacAulay, MMM, MSC, MB, CD.

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Lieutenant-General Raymond Roy Crabbe, CMM, MSC, CD

Vice-Admiral Gregory Ralph Maddison, CMM, MSC, CD

These two (plus MGen Forand) join four other CMM recipients in receiving the CMM and the Meritorious Service Cross:

• MGen Romeo Antonious J.L. Dallaire, CMM, OstJ, MSC, CD
• LGen John Kane Dangerfield, CMM, MSC, CD
• LGen David Huddleston, CMM, MSC, CD
• LGen John Archie MacInnis, CMM, MSC, CD

NOTE: General Joseph Gerard Maurice Baril, CMM, MSM, CD received the CMM and the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM).

The following recipients were elevated from the Officer rank (OMM) TO CMM:

• Lieutenant-General Raymond Roy Crabbe, CMM, MSC, CD
• Major-General Raymond Roland Joseph Henault, CMM, CD
• Vice-Admiral Gregory Ralph Madison, CMM, MSC, CD
• Major-General Kenneth Gregory Penney, CMM, CD

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Colonel Matthew Gregory MacDonald, OMM, MBE, CD

He was awarded Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1991. A member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, he served with the British Army during the Gulf War where he planned the deployment of British forces to Saudi Arabia and was included in the British Gulf War honours list. He joins:

• LGen Gordon Michael Reay, CMM, MBE, CD (MBE 1977)
• LCol Jean-Paul Reoger E. Beauregard, OMM, MBE, CD (MBE 1962)
• Colonel Malcolm Ira Walton, OMM, MBE, CD (MBE 1945)

As Order of Military Merit recipients to also receive the MBE (Military)

• Major Dennis Walter Emberley, OMM, MBE, CD received the civil MBE in 1990.

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Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Terrance Robert Meloche, OMM, CD

Chief Warrant Officer J.L.G. Guy Parent, OMM, CD

These two senior Chief's were both elevated from Member of the Order of Military Merit to Officer.

Major J.R.L.J. Milot, OMM, CD

While on exchange duties with the 7th Battalion 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, USA, he was Flight Operations Officer of the largest Chinook Battalion in the world. He deployed his Battalion to Honduras and later to Panama and was awarded two American Medals:

The Meritorious Service Medal

Army Commendation Medal

He has also served on United Nations service in Haiti, in Somalia and in the former Yugoslavia. An Interesting chest of medals!

Master Warrant Officer D.W. Drennan, MM, CD

This security Branch member has served in Cyprus, the Golan Heights, Cuba, Haiti, Rwanda and Sarajevo.

Master Warrant Officer F.J. Galway, MMM, CD

He was awarded the Army Achievement Medal from the American Forces in Haiti.

Warrant Officer Wade Greeley, MMM, MSM, CD

He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in the Gulf War. He thus joins three others as a recipient of the MMM and MSM:

Major Jean-Guy Plante, MMM, MSM, CD

Chief Warrant Officer George Allison Leach, MMM, MSM, CD

Chief Warrant Officer Frederick John Ritchie, MMM, MSM, CD

Three others have received the OMM and MSM:

• Colonel Peter Leentjes, OMM, MSM, CD
• Captain(N) Douglas J. McLean, OMM, MSM, CD
• Colonel John Alan Robert Gardem, OMM, MSM, CD (MSM is civil!)

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And finally, the most interesting of the recipients:

Master Warrant Officer Graham M. Goodrum, MMM, GM, CD

He joined the Logistics Branch of the Canadian Forces in 1982. Prior to that, he served in the British Army and was awarded the George Medal.

In the London Gazette of 19 September 1978, page 11154, Staff Sergeant Graham Goodrum (23982043), Royal Army Ordanance Corps, 321 E.O.D. Unit, RAOC was awarded the George Medal for bomb disposal in Northern Ireland between 1 February and30 April 1978. He becomes the first member of the Order of Military Merit to have received the George Medal.

The only comparable award is to:

• Colonel Arthur Richard ("Dick") Butson, GC, OMM, CStJ, CD who received the OMM in 1982 and the Albert Medal (1948) which was converted to the George Cross in 1972.

(Ref: 1997 Order of Military Merit Recipients by John Blatherwick, CM, CD, MD, FRCP - Military Collector's Club of Canada Journal, Edition 194, Fall 1998)