Governor General David Johnston presented Forest Grove resident Tom Nickel with the prestigious Order of Military Merit at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Nov. 10, 2015.
Governor General Johnston bestowed this honour on two commanders, eight officers and 29 members. Created in 1972, the Order of Military Merit recognizes meritorious service and devotion to duty by members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The Order of Military Merit honours the recipients for their commitment to Canada, according to three levels of membership: Commander (C.M.M.), Officer (O.M.M.) and Member (M.M.M.).
Tom received the Member level, which he says "basically recognizes going above and beyond what is expected of a member of the Canadian Armed Forces."
Tom says he is extremely proud to have joined such an elite group of Armed Forces members who have received this honour.
He notes the number of appointments each year is limited to one-tenth of one per cent of people who were members of the Canadian Armed Forces during the previous year.
“There’s not very many of them handed out. This year, there were 39 recipients and that was Forces-wide.”
As far as he can tell, about 3,000 people have received the Order of Military Merit honour since its inception.
“I was nominated by one of my superiors ... we’re reservists with the Canadian Rangers – 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group Victoria, British Columbia.”
Tom has been a Ranger for the past 23 years, as has his wife, Cherie. They met when they were in Cadets in 100 Mile House in 1984, and joined the Rangers together in 1993.
For the past eight years, Tom has coached the Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Concentration (CAFSAC) Western Canada shooting team, which goes to the national competition in Ottawa every year.
He shoots for the team at the same time. "It’s basically double the workload," the sharpshooter says with a chuckle.
Tom has been to the national competition 12 times and his best showing was second place, which he has accomplished twice. In 2015, he took fourth place for the second time and still made time to coach the team.
Tom went to Ottawa with his wife, Cherie, and both of them really enjoyed the Investiture Ceremony, he says.
“It’s kind of surreal when you have to walk up to the Governor General in front of a couple of hundred people in the Grand Ballroom at Rideau Hall. Everything there is larger than life, as is the Governor General.
“After the ceremony, they had a reception and the first person who came running up to talk to us was his wife, Sharon Johnston. She introduced herself as Mrs. Governor General.”
Tom notes he was listed on the document as a private because the Rangers don’t receive the same training as the Regular Forces, even though he is a Master Corporal with the Rangers in B.C.
Beside his longevity in the Rangers, which has 600 members throughout the province, Tom also puts a lot of extra effort into his service.
He teaches basic wilderness survival, ATV safety, snowmobile safety, search and rescue and a number of other courses.
“Whatever they ask me to do. When you combine all of those things, somebody notices.”
Tom was an ideal candidate for this prestigious award, and being a Ranger will continue to play a large role in his lifestyle.
