Meritorious Service Medal
- Awarded on: November 12, 2003
- Invested on: November 26, 2004
Rank: Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell was the commanding officer of the first Canadian Long Range Patrol Detachment deployed to the Arabian Gulf region during Operation APOLLO, from January to July 2002. Under his leadership, the unit contributed significantly to operations at sea in the global campaign against terrorism. He achieved this in spite of considerable adversity, a host nation with vastly different working norms and the complexity of integrating into a United States-led coalition operation. With diplomatic adroitness and outstanding professionalism, Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell has led his aircrews to achieve an unprecedented mission completion rate by successfully detecting and locating elusive high interest vessels. His achievements have brought great credit to the Canadian Forces and to Canada.
