An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir November 2019 www.dfmagazine.ie 22 | BY SGT RENA KENNEDY & SGT WAYNE FITZGERALD PHOTOS BY CPL PAT O'MEARA, 105 SQN O n 11th September 2019, An tUachtarán Michael D Higgins, supreme commander of the Defence Forces, hosted the second annual Defence Forces Values Awards ceremony in Áras an Uachtaráin. TV pre- senter Bláthnaid ní Chofaigh compèred the event, which was attended by Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM, and friends, relations and colleagues of the award recipients. Opening the ceremony, President Higgins said: "Today, we are recognising in a special way the noble actions of seven serving and retired members of our Defence Forces. We are recognising their conduct as embodying the essential Defence Forces qualities of moral courage, respect, integrity, physical courage, selflessness and loyalty. This evening is also an op- portunity for me to personally honour and acknowledge the integral role that Óglaigh na hÉireann occupies in Irish society; something that I have always been aware of." The values referred to by the president - respect, loyalty, selflessness, physical courage, moral courage, and integrity - are a moral component of our organisation; they are interde- pendent and held as a collective responsibility. Officers and enlisted personnel of the Defence Forces swear to be faithful to Ireland and loyal to the constitu- tion and as such are an integral part of our democracy. Our unique culture depends on our values, which provide the foundation for who we are. This is why the Defence Forces takes so much time and effort to define and disseminate our core values throughout the organisation. Acknowledging and highlighting examples of DF values in action is the purpose of the DF Values Awards, and will hope- fully assist in inculcating these values throughout our organisation. Our recipients for 2018 were as follows:- RESPECT – 'TREAT EVERYONE AS YOU WOULD EXPECT TO BE TREATED' This award was presented to AB/Mech Ryan O'Driscoll who serves on the crew of LÉ Samuel Beck- ett. Ryan was nominated by CPO/ERA Ruairi de Barra who said: "It is a pleasure to have this sailor as part of the engineering team onboard. He strengthens the team and brings out the best in those who come in contact and work with him." In his short, but eventful, four years' service Ryan has been a navy diver for three years and has deployed overseas twice: assisting in the rescue of over 3,400 migrants onboard LÉ Samuel Beck- ett during Operation Pontus and with the EU NAVFOR Operation Sophia as an RPAS drone pilot gathering information on oil smuggling and countering illegal arms trafficking. As a navy diver he has been involved in many search-and-recovery operations including the recovery of the remains of Capt Mark Duffy from Coastguard helicopter R116, which tragically crashed in March 2017. In advancement of his career Ryan is shortly due to start studying electrical engineering in CIT. LOYALTY – 'BE FAITHFUL TO IRELAND, TO THE DEFENCE FORCES, AND YOUR COMRADES' The award for loyalty was presented to Sgt PJ McCabe (2 Bde MP Coy). PJ was nomi- nated by members of his unit who credited him with: 'Demonstrating impeccable loy- alty to his unit over 37 years of service; never questioning why, only asking where and when his service is required; being a consistent presence at state ceremonial events, where his counsel and advice is often sought; carrying out his role as NCO-in-charge of 2 Bde MP Coy Reserve personnel with dedication, making himself available outside routine duty hours, on evenings and weekends, and encouraging and implementing the single-force concept. Sgt McCabe joined 8 Inf Bn FCÁ in Monaghan in 1977 before joining the PDF in 1980. He has been a member of the MP Corps since 1981 and served overseas with UNIFIL in Lebanon. Highlights of his career include being an integral part of the 1916 centenary commemorations, being involved on Aga Khan Day at the Dublin Horse Show for the last 38 years, and serving at four presidential inaugurations, including our current president's. Sgt McCabe is also proud to be third generation of his family to serve in the Defence Forces: his grandfather, Thomas Henry Farrell, served with 6 Inf Bn in Athlone and his uncle is retired Brig General Jim Farrell of Collins Bks, Cork.

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