Bravery

It's great when people leave me comments or messages and especially questions because then I can get to blog again on this site. Lisa was asking me about the award that were received by the entertainers, I found a photo somewhere of the entertainers getting the award I will see if I can locate it.

Here is some information that I found on http://www.geocities.com/militaf/4-mno.htm

Oceanos Sea Rescue (1991) - A successful air force and naval operation to rescue 402 passengers from the sinking cruise liner Oceanos. It yielded more decorations than any other single event in South Africa: an Honoris Crux Gold, an Honoris Crux Silver and four Honoris Cruxes to navy personnel, and 27 Air Force Crosses to helicopter aircrew. Twelve years later, the new Mendi Decoration for Bravery was awarded collectively to the rescue operation.

Order of Mendi for Bravery - Instituted in 2003 as the Mendi Decoration for Bravery, and renamed as an order in 2004. It is awarded in three classes - Gold (OMBG), Silver (OMBS), and Bronze (OMBB) - to civilians and military personnel for bravery in saving lives. I found this photo on: http://www.info.gov.za/aboutgovt/orders/recipients/recipients2003.pdf Medi decoration for bravery in Silver.

Within 25 minutes of confirming that the Oceanos, with 587 passengers and crew on board was in distress along the coast, near East London, the Officer Commanding Rescue Co-ordination Centre launched a rescue mission which has become a textbook illustration of maritime rescue professionalism, indeed a benchmark studied by many rescue centres across the world.
Helicopters were immediately dispatched from Durban, Pretoria and Cape Town, and other ships
and craft in the vicinity were summoned to provide immediate assistance to the ship.

The first SANDF personnel on the scene found it to be listing badly to the starboard side and in imminent danger of sinking. South African Navy divers set about destroying cables and other protuberances to enable the rescue helicopters to get in closer to facilitate quicker evacuation.
Complementing a rescue operation by boat, the SAAF helicopters executed a seamless operation,
with helicopter after helicopter ferrying to shore, passengers and crew hoisted up from the badly listed ship.

When 21 passengers remained unaccounted for, erroneously as it turned, Navy divers reentered
the badly listed ship which they searched from stern to stern. The last divers were finally
evacuated after they were certain that no one was left behind, merely 25 minutes before the
Oceanos sank. All 587 passengers and crew were rescued with no loss of life.

The complicated mission demonstrated outstanding inter-service co-operation and tested the flying and diving skills, airmanship, judgement, dedication, endurance and perseverance of all SADF personnel involved in the operation. Moreover, all the navy and airforce personnel involved distinguished themselves by placing themselves in imminent danger throughout the mission.

The Oceanos Rescue Mission is a remarkable feat in the annals of maritime history which received much international acclaim and praise.

THE MEDI AWARD FOR BRAVERY IN SILVER WAS AWARDED TO MEMBERS OF THE UNITS OF THE FORMER SADF INVOLVED IN THE OCEANOS RESCUE MISSION FOR ACTS OF BRAVERY AND VALOUR DISPLAYED DURING THE RESCUE MISSION TO SAVE
PASSENGERS AND CREW OF THE OCEANOS CRUISE LINER IN AUGUST 1991