Queen’s Birthday Honours
The New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration (DSD) has been awarded to Commander Jason Haggitt RNZN and Commander Andrew McMillan RNZN. Eleven New Zealand Defence Force personnel were named in this year’s list.
The Distinguished Service Decoration (DSD) recognises distinguished military service by regular, territorial and reserve members of the NZDF, including command and leadership, service in an operational environment, or in support of operations.
Commander Jason Haggitt DSD, RNZN
CDR Haggitt has 21 years of rotary wing military flying experience, since he initially joined the RNZAF in 1988. He was a Search and Rescue captain based at Wigram, where he developed skills in mountain flying in the Southern Alps and worked with civil agencies. During a subsequent exchange posting with the Royal Navy’s No. 845 Naval Air Squadron, he led his flight on demanding deployments to Bosnia and Belize. After returning to New Zealand in 2000, he then led two operational deployments to Timor-Leste as Commanding Officer of No. 3 Squadron Detachment.
After expressing interest in flying the new Seasprite aircraft, he transferred to the RNZN and was posted to HMNZS TE KAHA to undertake the first operational deployment of the Seasprite, when the ship supported Operation Enduring Freedom in the Gulf of Oman. Following his appointment in December 2006 as Commanding Officer of No. 6 Squadron, he has worked to ensure that his command achieved full operational capability. He also led a Seasprite Flight as part of our Defence Force support to the Samoa and Tonga Tsunami relief operations in 2009.
Commander Andrew McMillan DSD, RNZN
As a Lieutenant Commander, Andrew McMillan served as Commanding Officer of the Operational Diving Team from March 2008 to January 2010. He set about improving the training methodology and syllabus for divers, thereby enhancing his team’s capabilities. This gave the members the ability to cope with three recent significant operational challenges:
- In November 2008, he led his team to recover the body of the pilot as well as much of the wreckage of a helicopter which had crashed into Lake Wanaka.
- In August 2009, in response to a request from the government of Tonga, he led his team to search for and successfully locate the sunken ferry PRINCESS ASHIKA. The nature of this operation and the sensitivities involved, given the significant loss of life which resulted from the sinking, required considerable diplomacy and tact in meeting both national and family expectations.
- In October 2009, he and his team responded to another short notice call out to repair a fresh water pipeline in Samoa, which had been damaged as a result of the tsunami. This was followed by the sad task of searching for bodies in the lagoons. He displayed a high degree of professionalism in successfully completing these missions.
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