Canadian Forces Members Receive Medals

Military decorations for valour and meritorious service were awarded by Canada's Govenor General to 39 members of the Canadian Forces during a ceremony held in Rideau Hall on Tuesday.

As the last Canadian troops prepare for deployment to Afghanistan, Canada's new Governor General took a moment Tuesday to honour the sacrifices and achievements of those who've served on the mission which officially ends next year. Moments before he began handing out military decorations to some 39 service members during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, David Johnston acknowledged that a lot of the news coming out of Afghanistan has been about the human toll.

"Those of you who were there understand the other side of the equation," he said. "You know about the lives you saved, the communities you helped to stabilize, the schools you helped reopen."

Johnston noted the lives that were lost were not lost "in vain," and that while he also mourns every Canadian and Afghan death, it's also important to recognize the lives that have been saved and the people who made that possible.

"Each of you is here because you . . . went beyond what your fellow Canadians could reasonably have asked of you," he said in short speech before the medals presentation. "We are recognizing your acts of courage and selflessness in the face of enemy fire and natural disasters and we are recognizing equally vital contributions that may have been made under less dramatic circumstances."

Johnston presented three Medals of Military Valour for devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy and two Meritorious Service Crosses and 34 Meritorious Service Medals to soldiers whose professionalism brought "benefit or honour" to the military.

The ceremony took place a day before members of the Royal 22nd Regiment from Valcartier, Que., begin deploying to Afghanistan as part of the last combat rotation and less than a week before Canadians across the country pause to mark Remembrance Day.

Master Cpl. Paul Rachynski of Edmonton was among those who received high honours during the ceremony — a Medal of Military Valour. He was recognized for his actions on May 6, 2008, when he led Canadian and Afghan soldiers through heavy insurgent fire following an ambush in Zhari district west of Kandahar City in Afghanistan.

By: Shelldrake