Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Mar 24/00) - The Canadian Armed Forces' Forward Operation Location in Inuvik was the site of a special awards ceremony last Tuesday.

Col. Jim Donihee, commander of the 4 Wing air-fighter base in Cold Lake, Alta., presented 30 members of the 441 and 416 squadrons with North Atlantic Treaty Organization medals for their role in last year's military mission against Yugoslavia.

While the majority of the 4 Wing personnel who served in the campaign received their medals in Cold Lake, Donihee said it was fitting that those involved in the ongoing Exercise Fabric Brave in Inuvik be decorated here.

"A few months ago many of these personnel were operating in support of Canada's contribution to NATO operations over Kosovo, and now they are exercising air sovereignty operations above the Arctic Circle," he said.

"It is really appropriate that we recognize their dedication and sacrifices through this brief ceremony in Inuvik."

Among those who received the NATO medal -- with either a Yugoslavia or Kosovo bar -- was CF-18 fighter pilot Cpt. Darwin MacMillan.

"It was the experience of a lifetime," he said of Yugoslavia, "especially being in Canada, where we don't get involved in actual combat situations that often."

A native of Red Lake, Ont., and a 10-year veteran of the air force, MacMillan described last spring as a tension-filled time, particulary after several American jets went down.

"Everyone was anxious and, of course, nervous because you didn't want to mess up," he said. "There was also the fear of the unknown...we saw anti-aircraft fire, though no Canadian aircraft were hit."

The majority of the 4 Wing support crew was working out of the Canadian base across the Adriatic Sea in Aviano, Italy, including mechanic Cpl. Mike Keeping who also received his service medal last week.

"I really enjoyed my four months there," he said. "We were treated royally and it was something we had trained all our lives to do -- and I'd go again."

In fact, Keeping said the most difficult part of the operation involved returning to normal duties afterward.

"It is kind of slow by comparison," he said, "but that's where these short-notice exercises come in. I got three days notice that I'd be coming North."

That in itself also offers a relief, Keeping added. This is his sixth trip to Inuvik, a destination he said his wife prefers over a NATO posting.

"It was really stressful for her last year, for all the wives," he said, "and this is a walk in the park for her."

Meanwhile, MacMillan, a member of the 4 Wing 416 Squadron, compared working conditions in Yugoslavia to Inuvik, where wing personnel are rotated frequently.

"It's the same as Aviano, where pilots and technicians from all over Canada came together," he said.

"Having the different squadrons on exercise here is a good way for us to learn how to work with each other ... and we're also showing the maximum number of people what an FOL site is like."