New Operational Service Medal Announced

[dapaterson]

Yes, because I ate so much smoked salmon on Statendam during Podium that I no longer have quite the appreciation for it that I formerly had. That level of suffering has to be worth something.

Congratulations to the recipients of the new medal.

Staying on a cruise ship and eating smoked salmon...

You can take tac air from the Air Force, but you can't take the Air Force out of the tac air...  >

 

[Pusser]

... except we've been in Sierra Leone since 2000, and the OSM is for mid-2002 onwards only.  The earlier tours did receive a Brit medal, but nothing from Canada... so far...

Don't count on in.  The precedent has been set, if you get a medal from someone else, you won't get another one from Canada.  Just look at all the UN and NATO medals and the fact that it's an Australian medal that Canadians received for service in East Timor.  Canadian policy prohibits dual recognition and the rules for the OSM specifically state that it will only be awarded for missions for which no other medal is awarded (other than the CPSM).

 

[Loachman]

Staying on a cruise ship and eating smoked salmon...

You can take tac air from the Air Force, but you can't take the Air Force out of the tac air...  >

I am neither tac air (which would be seized-wing zoomie stuff) nor a** f**ce, regardless of the colour of dress uniform that Brian Mulroney stuck me with.

And the Mounties made us live on a boat and eat nice food. Who were we to argue?

 

[dapaterson]

Now that I'm done with my silly Army Aviaition baiting, I'll observe that the qualifications or the OSM - "not faced with armed enemies" - would disqualify the early years of OP SCULPTURE, when the enemy most definitely was armed.

 

[SeanNewman]

Congrats to everyone who has deserved this for so long. 

If I read it correctly, the 04 Haiti mission will have a different ribbon than the 10 Haiti medal (humanitas).

 

[vonGarvin]

Congrats to everyone who has deserved this for so long. 

If I read it correctly, the 04 Haiti mission will have a different ribbon than the 10 Haiti medal (humanitas).

You are correct:

OSM-H

This currently includes those who served in Haiti as part of the US-led Multinational Interim Force (MIF) from 6 March to 16 August 2004 (Operation HALO) as well as those members of the medical evacuation team who deployed to the Dominican Republic during the same period to provide direct support to the operation conducted in Haiti.

OSM-HUM

This ribbon replaces the HUMANITAS bar to the Special Service Medal as of 1 August 2009. Those who earned the SSM-HUMANITAS retain it but no other eligible mission will be added to its eligibility list. The change was made because the SSM is reserved for members of the CF only and there was desire to recognize police officers and Canadian civilians serving with the CF and the police in humanitarian missions. Only service on approved humanitarian missions from 1 August 2009 onwards can be credited toward this new medal.

This includes those who served as part of the humanitarian mission in Haiti following the earthquake (Op HESTIA) from 12 January 2010 to 2 May 2010, including members of the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) who served in the theatre of operations and also including members who deployed to Barahona, Dominican Republic, and Kingston, Jamaica, during the same period to provide direct support to the humanitarian mission conducted in Haiti.

 

[danchapps]

I am neither tac air (which would be seized-wing zoomie stuff) nor a** f**ce, regardless of the colour of dress uniform that Brian Mulroney stuck me with.

And the Mounties made us live on a boat and eat nice food. Who were we to argue?

You may have stayed on a boat eating fancy food, but I stayed in mod tent eating from a flying kitchen. Then there are those than had it worse than us, out patrolling constantly. Iit would be nice to have a domestic medal. Thinking back to the Red River Floods, Ice Storm '98, he Quebec Floods, BC Fires, Podium, and now Igor. Now that I think of it, it would be great to be recognized for domestic stuff, when merited of course. My 2 cents.

 

[George Wallace]

You may have stayed on a boat eating fancy food, but I stayed in mod tent eating from a flying kitchen. Then there are those than had it worse than us, out patrolling constantly. Iit would be nice to have a domestic medal. Thinking back to the Red River Floods, Ice Storm '98, he Quebec Floods, BC Fires, Podium, and now Igor. Now that I think of it, it would be great to be recognized for domestic stuff, when merited of course. My 2 cents.

So you are a "collector".  For twelve years of Service to your nation a CD is not enough?  You need a chest full of gongs to make you a "real" soldier/sailor/airman? 

 

[danchapps]

I'm not saying I was in all of those domestic ops. I'm saying that it would be nice for those that were in those domestic ops to have some recognition. And no, I do not have a CD, I've only been in 3 years. However, considering some have received the NATO medal while residing in Germany in the 80's, one might think it would be fair to have something for work in Canada. The SSM is awarded for going to Alert, I understand why, you are away from your family for a 6 month tour. But when an Op has a CANFORGEN sent out stating that Ottawa is proud, and has designated it a special duty operation, well, shouldn't there be a little something, other than words on a screen? That's all I'm saying.

 

[George Wallace]

I'm not saying I was in all of those domestic ops. I'm saying that it would be nice for those that were in those domestic ops to have some recognition. And no, I do not have a CD, I've only been in 3 years. However, considering some have received the NATO medal while residing in Germany in the 80's, one might think it would be fair to have something for work in Canada. The SSM is awarded for going to Alert, I understand why, you are away from your family for a 6 month tour. But when an Op has a CANFORGEN sent out stating that Ottawa is proud, and has designated it a special duty operation, well, shouldn't there be a little something, other than words on a screen? That's all I'm saying.

OK.  I now understand, from the above, that you have little experience, and know very little about the Canadian Honours and Awards system, and have not bothered to read up on it, so I will just leave you at this.

 

[brihard]

You may have stayed on a boat eating fancy food, but I stayed in mod tent eating from a flying kitchen. Then there are those than had it worse than us, out patrolling constantly. Iit would be nice to have a domestic medal. Thinking back to the Red River Floods, Ice Storm '98, he Quebec Floods, BC Fires, Podium, and now Igor. Now that I think of it, it would be great to be recognized for domestic stuff, when merited of course. My 2 cents.

The hardship you describe sounds remarkably like that considered when determining a unit's eligibility for Land Duty Allowance.

You get recognized for domestic stuff. Canadians will say 'thank you'. It'll probably be on your PER. You get the opportunity to prove yourself to your chain of command in an operational context. You get a rather generous amount of paid leave to recognize that sometimes you work longer than would normally be the case, or are pulled away from home.

There's nothing particularly unique or extraordinarily hazardous about a DOMOP that merits further dilution of our system of honours and awards. When you're in a field unit, doing field stuff is your job. Tradition has established a system of recognition for overseas service, but there's simply nothing that justifies adding more bling for going out and doing what's expected of us when the civil authorities find their capabilities exceeded.

 

[392]

But when an Op has a CANFORGEN sent out stating that Ottawa is proud, and has designated it a special duty operation, well, shouldn't there be a little something, other than words on a screen? That's all I'm saying.

You are aware that the deeming of Op PODIUM as a special duty area, is not for H&A recognition right?

 

[mariomike]

Iit would be nice to have a domestic medal. Thinking back to the Red River Floods, Ice Storm '98, he Quebec Floods, BC Fires, Podium, and now Igor. Now that I think of it, it would be great to be recognized for domestic stuff, when merited of course.

Might as well add one more to the list.

 

[armyvern]

Might as well add one more to the list.

One more?

How about many more?

76 Olympics;
Oka;
FLQ crisis;
TO snow shovelling jugernaut;
Various New Brunswick forest fires mid-80s;
Upteen tens of Saint John River floods (an annual activity for those posted to Gagetown!!);
Y2K

etc etc etc

Come on folks. Our #1 raison d'etre in the CF has to do with that which occurs inside our borders or threatens our borders. It's our job.

 

[vonGarvin]

However, considering some have received the NATO medal while residing in Germany in the 80's, one might think it would be fair to have something for work in Canada.

I'm going to start by saying that I have never been posted to Canadian Forces Europe. 

Canadian servicemembers in Europe as part of NATO were there in an operational role, helping to win a war without firing a shot.  And they succeeded as a minor player in the Central Army Group.  Dudes such as Sun Tzu would say that winning without going to battle is probably the best way to win.  And we did.  I for one am proud of what our little armed force was able to do, and individual recognition is more than warranted.  We had substantial forces deployed in an operational area from the 1950s to the 1990s, and for our country, it was a substantial accomplishment, especially since our troops did more than "reside" in Germany.

 

[PuckChaser]

If I got a medal for being on OP Cadence, I wouldn't be proud to wear it.

 

[Edward Campbell]

I'm going to start by saying that I have never been posted to Canadian Forces Europe. 

Canadian servicemembers in Europe as part of NATO were there in an operational role, helping to win a war without firing a shot.  And they succeeded as a minor powerful, nuclear armed player in the Central Army Group formation in the all important Northern Army Group.  Dudes such as Sun Tzu would say that winning without going to battle is probably the best way to win.  And we did.  I for one am proud of what our little armed force was able to do, and individual recognition is more than warranted.  We had substantial forces deployed in an operational area from the 1950s to the 1990s, and for our country, it was a substantial accomplishment, especially since our troops did more than "reside" in Germany.

I might have phrased it a bit differently, TV.

 

[vonGarvin]

I might have phrased it a bit differently, TV.

Of course, I was thinking of the post-move from NORTHAG to CENTAG.  Hell, in that, I was missing half of the time we had forces in Europe from the 1950's on!

 

[brihard]

If I got a medal for being on OP Cadence, I wouldn't be proud to wear it.

The Domestic Operations Service Medal - OP Cadence is hereby established for domestic operations in the face of conditions of hardship and deprivation of morale.

The medal, which is green in colour, consists of a circular medallion, engraved with two spiral patterns overlapped in the fashion of a packaged pair of mosquito coils, with an inscription reading 'FML' in large letters filling the obverse, and on the reverse an inscription of the soldier/s rank, name and service number at the time of the operation, and a tally of the quantity of mosquito repellent consumed (in millilitres).

The medal shall be awarded for seven days or greater service with any of the elements of the various task forces established under the structure of said operation. A green bar shall be awarded for each instance on which the soldier was observed to have cried, or pledged never again to deploy on a DOMOP.

 

[armyvern]

The Domestic Operations Service Medal - OP Cadence is hereby established for domestic operations in the face of conditions of hardship and deprivation of morale.

The medal, which is green in colour, consists of a circular medallion, engraved with two spiral patterns overlapped in the fashion of a packaged pair of mosquito coils, with an inscription reading 'FML' in large letters filling the obverse, and on the reverse an inscription of the soldier/s rank, name and service number at the time of the operation, and a tally of the quantity of mosquito repellent consumed (in millilitres).

The medal shall be awarded for seven days or greater service with any of the elements of the various task forces established under the structure of said operation. A green bar shall be awarded for each instance on which the soldier was observed to have cried, or pledged never again to deploy on a DOMOP.

I hereby declare this medal VETOED on behalf of the Opposition Parties who, according to all MSM reportage these days, strongly disagree that you hundreds of soldiers and LEOs who were stationed in forested areas for weeks while conducting patrol, perimeter and surveillance tasks as Op Cadence were desrving of purchasing a single fuid ounce of mosquito repellant for.

For cripes sakes ... listen to the babbling tards going on about "unjustified expenses"; easy for them to spout when it wasn't their own asses being targetted 5000 times a day by the tiny, black little enemy critters.