An Cosantóir

61 By Comdt Jay O'Reilly, No 3 Operations Wing. Assisted by Cpl Michael Whelan, Irish Air Corps Museum AIR CORPS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDALS No 3 Operations Wing is the most decorated unit in the Defence Forces with 22 Distin- guished Service Medals (DSM) awarded to its members, four of them posthumously. The DSM is awarded in recognition of individual, or associated acts of bravery, courage, leader- ship, resource or devotion to duty arising out of, or associated with, service in the Defence Forces and not meriting the award of the Military Medal for Gallantry. There are three classes of DSM awards, the DSM with Honour (previously 1st class), DSM with Distinction (previously 2nd class), and the DSM with Merit (previously third class). No 3 Ops Wing DSM recipients and their med- al citations are described below. 8th March 1970 – Alouette III The Distinguished Service Medal with Dis- tinction 0.7452 Commandant Brian McMahon For exceptional leadership and a high degree of courage. Commandant McMahon, as a hel- icopter pilot, effected the rescue of an injured man from the cliff face at Glendalough, Co. Wicklow under very adverse weather condi- tions on the 8th of March 1970. The rescue operation necessitated bringing the helicop- ter rotor blades within four feet of the cliff face and in doing so Commandant McMahon displayed exceptional flying skill and disregard for personal safety. 812087 Sergeant Thomas Dunne Sergeant Thomas Dunne while acting as a helicopter winch operator in the rescue of an injured man from the cliff face at Glendalough, Co. Wicklow on the 8th March 1970, in very hazardous conditions, displayed a high degree of courage and resource. The success of the operation and saving of the injured man's life was due to the efforts of the helicopter crew as a team of which Sergeant Dunne was a member. 817259 Corporal Michael Brady For displaying a high degree of courage and resource in the rescue of an injured man from the cliff face at Glendalough, Co. Wicklow on 8th March 1970. As a member of a helicopter team he descended from the helicopter under extremely difficult conditions and succeeded in securing the rescue strap on the survivor while the helicopter rotor blades were main- tained in a position within four feet of the cliff face in very adverse weather conditions. 5th August 1972 – Alouette III The Distinguished Service Medal with Dis- tinction 0.8205 Captain Thomas Croke For exceptional leadership and a high degree of courage. Captain Croke as a helicopter pi- lot, effected the rescue of a trapped boy from a ledge on the waterfall face at Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow, under very adverse weather conditions on 05 August 1972. The rescue operation necessitated bringing the helicopter rotor blades within feet of the waterfall, and in doing so Captain Croke displayed exceptional flying skill and disregard for personal safety. 816558 Corporal Terence Kelly Corporal Terence Kelly, while acting as a helicopter winch operator in the rescue of a trapped boy from a ledge on the waterfall face at Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow on the 5th of Au- gust 1972, in very hazardous conditions, dis- played a high degree of courage and resource. The success of the operation and the rescuing of the trapped boy were due to the efforts of the helicopter crew as a team of which Corpo- ral Kelly was a member. 818185 Corporal John Ring For displaying a high degree of courage and resource in the rescue of a trapped boy from a ledge on the waterfall face at Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow on the 5th of August 1972. Cor- poral John Ring, a member of a helicopter team, descended from the helicopter under extremely difficult conditions and having climbed down ten feet of the waterfall face, succeeded in securing the rescue strap on the AIR CORPS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDALS

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