Meritorious Service Medal
- Awarded on: October 18, 2006
- Invested on: February 19, 2007
Rank: Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant-Colonel Petrolekas served from November 2003 to November 2006 as the Chief of the Defence Staff’s Liaison to the Commander of the Joint Force Command in Brunssum, Netherlands, for Canadian Forces’ operations in Afghanistan. In this challenging position, he guaranteed the highest levels of situational awareness for senior Canadian officials, NATO, and coalition leadership. During successive major Canadian contributions to NATO and U.S.-led operations, his influence was pivotal to the seamless integration of the Canadian Forces’ contributions to these missions. Lieutenant- Colonel Petrolekas’ contributions have brought great honour, respect and credibility to the Canadian Forces and to Canada.
