New Operational Service Medal Announced

[Arctic Acorn]

Thats the one. I was on a course with a guy who had one.

 

[mariomike]

Thats the one. I was on a course with a guy who had one.

Sorry, I did not get back to you sooner.
But, I wanted to mention it is not specifically a military medal.
"Eligibility: German and foreign armed service members, rescue service members, and civilians."

 

[armyvern]

Someone on here once made a comment about this I remember well (Vern...)...you serve when you can serve, in the conditions at the time.
...

Gawd, that must have been during one of my very rare lucid moments.  :blotto:

...
It would be an interesting poll to see who is for and against a DOMOP medal and compare the results to who has an international deployment versus who doesn't.

Well, where do you include those who have a 125, QGJ etc (non DOMOP) or IntOp etc?  >

KIDDING!!!  8)

 

[Arctic Acorn]

No problem, and its a good point. That said, military decorations are not issued from within DND. Some awards are issued to both military and civilians. The General Service Medal is one example, though I don't know if there are too many more, other than bravery awards.

At any rate, it is an example of a nation recognizing military participation in a Domestic Operation.

Hey Vern: You don't have to be lucid to be right about something.  ;D

Also, bringing up 'those' awards is a whole other kettle. I haven't seen a discussion yet involving those which didn't get someone's back up over the, shall we say difference in eligibility requirements (e.g., the individual who was recognized by their CoC for hard work/dedication versus being the COs golfing buddy...). I've always thought that there more of the former than the latter, but enough that some tend to get defensive about the circumstances for issue.

 

[armyvern]

Also, bringing up 'those' awards is a whole other kettle. I haven't seen a discussion yet involving those which didn't get someone's back up over the, shall we say difference in eligibility requirements (e.g., the individual who was recognized by their CoC for hard work/dedication versus being the COs golfing buddy...). I've always thought that there more of the former than the latter, but enough that some tend to get defensive about the circumstances for issue.

I absolutely agree.

...

But, for DOMOPS - it's the same in my view.

The CF exists as per lawful Act (and our #1 "job" with each and every Defence Paper is to defend and protect our sovereignty, security and stability of and within our borders. That's our day job - it is the minimum that the taxpayer expects from us and that which is required via lawful act; that's why we get paid by the taxpayer.

It's when we go outside of those borders that we are into territory literally "outside" of our realm ... and that's why we are recognized with bling for doing things over and above what is minimally expected of us - and perhaps - exactly how TB justified that we get extra bonus' & pay during those periods.

I, therefore, can see a very distinct and important difference in "Eligibility Requirements" between the two.

 

[mariomike]

The General Service Medal is one example, though I don't know if there are too many more, other than bravery awards.

It says the bravery decorations were established on 1 May 1972.
I figured I would know a lot of Toronto recipients. So, I took a look:
http://www.gg.ca/honours.aspx?lan=eng

I checked: "All Levels of ( Bravery ) Award" and "All Incident Types" and only got 51 names. Which did not seem like a lot for almost 40 years, in a busy city this size. Especially considering some of the names were for the same incident. 

I was surprised. I did not know any of the bravery recipients. Not one I even heard of. I saw things I shall never forget. People at their worst, and their best.
I know many of the 20 and 30 year Exemplary Service Medal recipients. Many of the ESMs were awarded posthumously. The City took years to put in the paper-work ( for the crews ), and the guys didn't know ( or care ) much about medals.

Some of the bravery citations are heart-breaking: "On April 2, 1996, six-year-old Jennifer Koval's'kyj died trying to stop her mentally unstable father from attacking and eventually fatally wounding her grandmother in Bowmanville, Ontario. The man had already stabbed his mother several times with a kitchen knife when Jennifer arrived on the scene. She courageously stepped between her grandmother and her knife-wielding father and pleaded with him to stop. Knowing that her father was irrational at that time, she told him she loved him in an attempt to calm him down but the man tragically turned on her and inflicted multiple stab wounds which claimed the little girl's life."

 

[vonGarvin]

BTW Techno, we had no intention of evacing you, we needed some urchin who spoke the language to help us E&E to Switzerland. 8)

IMHO, you made a good choice, because I not only spoke "Deutsch", but also "Allemannisch", or Allemanic German, the language group (not mere slang) that included "Schwäbisch", "Alsatian", "Badisch" and "Schwyzerdütsch" ("Swiss German")!  I'd get you there, alright, "Heijo!"


According to this map, I speak "Upper Rhine Allemanics", a point noted when I was in University by our various German exchange students.

 

[Jungle]

All, the thread is about the Operational Service Medal; let's stick to the subject.

You can open a new thread if you want to criticize COs and RSMs getting free-bees...

 

[Rheostatic]

The first batch will be awarded next Monday:
http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=13969&lan=eng

Operational Service Medal Inaugural Ceremony
December 2, 2010

Governor General to Preside Over the Inaugural Presentation
of the Operational Service Medal
OTTAWA—His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, will present the first 50 Operational Service Medals. The inaugural ceremony will be held at Rideau Hall on Monday, December 6, 2010, at 2:30 p.m.

The Operational Service Medal will be awarded to Canadian military personnel, to civilians under the authority of the Canadian Forces, and to members of allied forces integrated within the Canadian Forces, as well as to Canadian police officers who have taken part in important missions overseas.

The creation of the Operational Service Medal was announced on September 8, 2010 (http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=13849&lan=eng). It is issued with a ribbon specific to the theatre or type of service being recognized, and each ribbon has its own criteria. At this time, six ribbons have been created: South-West Asia, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Sudan, HUMANITAS and EXPEDITION.

The list of recipients and additional information on the Operational Service Medal are attached.

 

[medicineman]

At least I actually recognize some of the names, but alas, neither Techno nor myself get to have tea and biscuits with the GG.

Glad they're rolling out.

MM

 

[medicineman]

I had to pop into the clinic today...accidentally saw my medal on the CSM's desk. 

MM

 

[navypuke]

Looks like they updated the mission list for the new OSM. Turns out I did a Southploy last year under the JIATF(S) umbrella. The ship was awarded 30 or 31 days in "theatre"  and my Pers Tempo under EMAA says 30 days on operation exactly. So you would think my ship would have qualified under this expanded list.

So when I went to talk to my units clerk, he said we didn't qualify because we had a couple of days in port.  Even though our port visit was still humanitarian relief in Guatamala. The only thing that stopped us was the amount of flotsam on the rivers to get to people living on their roofs cause of flooding. 

Are their any clerks out there that could possibly point me to where the actual qualifying service has to be out at sea for the ships. And not in port. I was sure that time in port counted for Gulf bound ships, cause the ships are still in the "box" so to speak. They don't stop your hazard pay because your on a port visit in Dubai so why would they stop counting your service days like they did to us in Guatamala. Could my clerk be wrong? If hes right, then I'll guess I will have to get back onto another Southploy.

 

[George Wallace]

Are their any clerks out there that could possibly point me to where the actual qualifying service has to be out at sea for the ships. And not in port. I was sure that time in port counted for Gulf bound ships, cause the ships are still in the "box" so to speak. They don't stop your hazard pay because your on a port visit in Dubai so why would they stop counting your service days like they did to us in Guatamala. Could my clerk be wrong? If hes right, then I'll guess I will have to get back onto another Southploy.

Even if their days in port didn't count, I am sure that they would have easily qualified as they were there for six + months.

 

[Infanteer]

Even if their days in port didn't count, I am sure that they would have easily qualified as they were there for six + months.

Looks like they updated the mission list for the new OSM. Turns out I did a Southploy last year under the JIATF(S) umbrella. The ship was awarded 30 or 31 days in "theatre"  and my Pers Tempo under EMAA says 30 days on operation exactly. So you would think my ship would have qualified under this expanded list.

 

[aesop081]

So when I went to talk to my units clerk, he said we didn't qualify because we had a couple of days in port.  Even though our port visit was still humanitarian relief in Guatamala. The only thing that stopped us was the amount of flotsam on the rivers to get to people living on their roofs cause of flooding. 

The AOR for OP CARIBBE is the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Pacific in support of JIATF(S) operations. I suspect that while you were in the AOR, your time in Guatemala was not in support of OP CARIBBE.

I don't know but that could be it.

 

[Infanteer]

This is a tricky one - guys in Afghanistan don't lose 20-odd days off their "days in theater count" while they go on HLTA, so I can't see why a ship dedicated to an Op loses days while in a port.

RMS clerks tend not to know the H&A system too well - they deal with MAPS but that's about it; the rest is driven by the chain-of-command.  I'd advise writing a memo through your chain to your ship's equivalent of an Adjutant.  He can go through the "N1" side to get the answer from the Honours and Awards folks.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Well it's nice to see the area is getting recognition now.  I did a half NATO doing counter drug ops off the Curaco, Aruba etc in 2000.  Not enough time to get a SSM, and not back datable for the OSM.  Ce'st la guerre.

 

[q_1966]

The AOR for OP CARIBBE is the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Pacific in support of JIATF(S) operations. I suspect that while you were in the AOR, your time in Guatemala was not in support of OP CARIBBE.

I don't know but that could be it.

Taken from HMCS Algonquin RO's

Ref: CANFORGEN 011/11

The Operational Service Medal with Expedition Ribbon (OSM EXP) has been approved for personnel who have served an accumulated total of 30 days on OP CARRIBE since 1 Nov 06.

The following list indicates which deployments are eligible.

Op CARIBBE - List of participating units

Dates are reflective of CHOP to JIATF(S) *Someone please tell me what CHOP means*

HMCS Fredericton: 25 Jun - 27 Jul 2007

HMCS Corner Brook: 12 Mar - 21 Apr 2008                               

HMCS Iroquois: 19 Apr - 30 Apr 2008

HMCS Calgary: 19 Apr - 30 Apr 2008

HMCS Protecteur: 19 Apr - 30 Apr 2008
                                 
HMCS Montreal: 28 Jul - 29 Aug 2008

HMCS St-John: 23 Aug - 24 Sep 2008 
                             
HMCS Preserver: 14 Apr - 27 May 2009

HMCS Calgary: 03 Sep - 10 Sep 2009:
                        23 Sep - 27 Sep 2009;
                        19 Oct - 25 Oct 2009; and
                        27 Oct - 30 Oct 2009.

HMCS Toronto: 17 Sep - 19 Oct 2009

HMCS Vancouver: 12 Sep - 21 Sep 2010;
                            25 Sep - 29 Sep 2010; and
                              04 Oct - 12 Oct 2010.


HMCS Algonquin: 17 Aug - 25 Aug 2010;
                            24 Sep - 29 Sep 2010; and
                            04 Oct - 12 Oct 2010.

HMCS Protecteur: 17 Aug - 25 Aug 2010;
                            24 Sep - 29 Sep 2010; and
                            04 Oct - 12 Oct 2010.

HMCS Toronto: 07 Sep - 20 Sep 2010

Which means 6 days short of 30 days for me 

- Shawn

                           
                           

 

[aesop081]

*Someone please tell me what CHOP means*

It is the date where the unit starts to get its taskings from JIATF(S) HQ in Key West.

Which means 6 days short of 30 days for me 

I'm 3 days short.
                           
                         

 

[q_1966]

Im getting out, will this be stored somewhere for if I get back in? How do I go about proving it, years down the road?

- Shawn