JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Two members of the Western Air Defense Sector Canadian Detachment were awarded Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Special Service Medals (SSM) with NATO bar during the WADS annual awards ceremony Dec. 1, 2018 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Royal Canadian Air Force Sgt. Yves Truchon, Western Air Defense Sector Canadian Detachment command and control battle manager, was awarded the medal for his exceptional service conducting operations as part of Task Force 2011 (409th Fighter Squadron) and Task Force 2013 (425th Fighter Squadron) during Operation Ignition, the RCAF contribution to the NATO air policing mission over Iceland, providing airborne surveillance and interception capabilities to meet Iceland’s peacetime preparedness needs.
Royal Canadian Navy Master Seaman Malisa Ogunniya, Western Air Defense Sector Canadian Detachment chief clerk, was awarded the medal for her exceptional service in support of operations while onboard Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Winnipeg from July 2015 through January 2016. HMCS Winnipeg conducted operations under the standing NATO Maritime Group Two as part of Operation Reassurance, NATO’s mission to build maritime situational awareness in order to detect, deter and disrupt terrorism in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Special Service Medal was created to recognize members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have performed a service determined to be under exceptional circumstances, in a clearly defined locality for a specified duration. The SSM is always issued with a bar that specifies the special service being recognized, each bar having its own criteria.