Conspicuous Service Recognized In The United States On NT09

Investiture ceremony held onboard HMAS Ballarat to award Chief Petty Officer (CPO) Jeremy Micheal Wade the Conspicuous Service Medal by His Excellency, Ambassador Dennis Richardson.

The arrival of the HMAS Ballarat alongside at the worlds largest Naval base, US Naval Station Norfolk, on her Northern Trident 2009 voyage provided the perfect location for a particularly Australian event, the investiture of an Australian Conspicuous Service medal upon , Marine Technician (MT), Jeremy Michael Wade.

MT Wade is based in the United States on exchange to Mayport Naval Station, Florida so it was fitting that amongst the might of the US Navy, an award for meritorious achievement and dedication to duty in non-warlike situations be awarded on the bridge of an Anzac Class Frigate by His Excellency, the Australian Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Dennis Richardson.

In the ceremony on Ballarat’s bridge attended by Defence Attaché Washington, Air Vice-Marshal Kym Osley, Naval Attaché Washington, Commodore Vince Di Pietro, the commanding officers of both NT09 ships (Captain Peter Leavy - Sydney and Commander Kevin Turner - Ballarat) and former shipmates s Rohan Jennings and Wayne Donohoe, MT Wade’s work in optimising the material state and personnel training as a Marine Technician onboard HMAS Warramunga was recognised.

LCDR Mark Koost read the commendation to those present before the Ambassador of Australia presented the medal on behalf of the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, "CPO Wade consistently and enthusiastically dedicated himself to ensure that Warramunga’s technical sailors and platform systems achieved an exemplary level of readiness. His diligent and inspirational leadership and outstanding technical performance in extremely challenging service environments are attributes that ensured Warramunga repeatedly achieved numerous significant operational commitments over the past six years."

Chief Petty Officer (CPO) Jeremy Micheal Wade's Conspicuous Service Medal.

The award of the Conspicuous Service medal to MT Wade places him amongst a select group of Royal Australian Navy personnel recognized for their dedication to their duties. Though there may be over 600 recipients of the medal since its inception in 1989, for the award of this particular medal, Ballarat’s ships company were only too pleased to provide a fittingly Australian location for the ceremony for a member of the Royal Australian Navy serving far from Australian shores.