Rear Admiral John F. Newtown awarded the Operational Service Medal to 86 members HMCS Preserver for their involvement in last fall’s Op CARIBBE on June 11th.
During her time on Op CARRIBE in the fall of 2013 Preserver assisted the embarked United States Law Enforcement Detachment in the seizure and destruction of 432 kilograms of cocaine, conducted Community Relation events in both Columbia and Jamaica, and hosted a reception for the Canadian Ambassador to Jamaica while in Kingston.
The OSM was created as a means to recognize those who serve in or provide support to overseas operations for which no other medals, such as United Nations or NATO medals, are available.
[mappress] Press Release, June 26, 2014; Image: Canadian Navy