Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Keith Paul Mitchell (now Chief Warrant Officer), CV, MMM, MSM, CD, a Search and Rescue technician with 413 Search and Rescue Squadron in the Canadian Forces, received the Cross of Valour, the highest Canadian award for acts of

courage Courage (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in battle. Physical courage is bravery in the face of physical pain, h ...

in circumstances of extreme peril, on September 18, 1998, along with Master Corporal Bryan Keith Pierce. On November 12, 1996, Sergeant Mitchell and Master Corporal Pierce carried out an unprecedented parachute jump at night from a Hercules aircraft into freezing

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

waters to provide medical aid to a critically ill fisherman on board a Danish

fishing trawler A fishing trawler is a commercial fishing vessel designed to operate Trawling, fishing trawls. Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively dragging or pulling a trawl through the water behind one or more trawlers. Trawls are fishing ...

located near Resolution Island,

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

. With inadequate

flare A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...

illumination, Sergeant Mitchell and Master Corporal Pierce

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

d towards where a

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the Sun path, apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. ...

boat was supposed to have been launched to pull them from the sea. Extremely strong winds carried the two men away from the vessel and landed them in freezing three-metre waves. Because of the heavy seas and severe icing conditions, they were unable to swim to the trawler. About 15 minutes later, with the men close to

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe h ...

, the ice-encrusted Zodiac finally reached them. They made it to the trawler, where they immediately treated the ill sailor and saved his life. On the morning of June 9, 2008, the aircrew of Cormorant Helicopter Rescue 913 successfully evacuated a critically injured sailor from the MV Maersk Dunedin, near Halifax. Aircraft commander Lieutenant-Colonel Thibault made critical command decisions as he piloted the aircraft under exceptionally demanding circumstances. He was assisted by First Officer Captain Mercer, who helped fly the aircraft for nearly 10 hours, twice landing on Sable Island for fuel as the aircraft’s endurance was pushed to its limits. In conditions where visibility was so poor that they could not even see the vessel in distress, flight engineer Sergeant Pawulski was instrumental in providing advice to help guide the aircraft into position over the deck in order to facilitate the hoist operation. Search and rescue technicians Warrant Officer Mitchell and Sergeant Kelland were then lowered onto the heaving deck, where they rendered life-saving medical aid to the injured sailor and coordinated his removal to the rescue helicopter. The team’s conduct, dedication and professionalism in the planning and execution of this daring rescue brought great credit to the Canadian Forces. The crew was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and Lieutenant-Colonel Thibault was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross for their dedication to duty. In 2014, Master Warrant Officer Keith Mitchell was appointed as a Member of the Order of Military Merit (MMM).

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Canada) {{Canada-mil-bio-stub