I move:
That Seanad Éireann offers its congratulations to the UNIFIL forces on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and particularly notes the contribution of the Irish Defence Forces towards maintaining that peace in many parts of the world for the last 13 years.
The motion is in error in two places. It should read "congratulations to the United Nations Peace-keeping Forces" because they, in fact, and not the UNIFIL forces, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Secondly, the contribution of the Irish forces has been going on for 30 years.
The reason for putting down this motion is basically to offer congratulations to our soldiers who, over a period of 30 years have been involved in many parts of the world in a peace-keeping role. One must immediately ask why Irish soldiers are involved so much? It stems from our neutral position and from the fact that we are a relatively young country, obtaining our independence in 1921. We, therefore, know the problems that similar countries have and are continuing to have. If one looks at where these services have been given, one will see that it is to emerging countries, who are gaining their independence with all the resultant problems.
Since the Irish peace-keeping forces began service in June 1958, with the United Nations Observer Group in Lebanon, known as UNOGIL, members of the Permanent Defence Forces have contributed almost 32,000 tours of duty to 12 different missions worldwide. In that 30-year period Irish personnel with the United Nations have lost their lives on four missions: in the Congo where 26 people lost their lives, 16 in action; in Cyprus, where nine people lost their lives; in Palestine two were killed in action; in Lebanon 30 people have been killed, eight killed in action, and one is missing, presumed dead. Of those killed in Lebanon, five were from the 28th Infantry Battalion which is located in my own county. They were Private Philip Grogan who died on 10 July 1979, Private Hugh Doherty who died on 27 April 1981, Corporal Dermot McLoughlin who died on 10 January 1987, and most recently on 21 April 1989 Private Arm-strong and Private Walsh. Also dead from another battalion is Corporal Heneghan from Galway.
The general perception of our soldiers perhaps is that in a country like Ireland they do not have much to do as soldiers, but they have a vital role to play. In our country, if necessary, they can be called on to maintain peace. They are working, particularly those stationed in my own area along the Border, on an ongoing basis. Only recently, I realised that where we might have one garda at a checkpoint, we require four soldiers, not because it takes four soldiers to protect one garda but because one armed soldier could be easily accosted and perhaps lose the weapon, so it takes one to watch the other. They are playing a vital role along the Border, a role that all of us would wish would go away, but which is not going away, as yet.
There have been various ways of acknowledging the contribution made by our soldiers. This motion is just another one of those ways, that this House would recognise the contribution of those soldiers. The United Nations has issued various medals from time to time in recognition of service with the United Nations. The medal which Irish personnel have received for United Nations service has been of one design, that is a medal round in form bearing on the obverse the UN emblem and the letters "UN" and on the reverse the inscription "In the Service of Peace". The distinguishing feature in United Nations medals from mission to mission has been not the medal itself, which is uniform, but the suspension ribbon. These specifications are setermined by the Secretary General. The description of medal ribbons for United Nations peace-keeping missions in which Irish personnel have served is set out in the magazine An Cosantóir of 8 October 1988 and is as follows:
United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation in Palestine (UNTSO) — blue background, two narrow white stripes — UN colours.
United Nations Military Observation Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) — varying shades of green to indicate the Himalayan Range and Kashmir Valley with a white stripe to represent the snow-capped mountains. The UN is represented by a UN blue stripe on either side.
United Nations Observer Group in Lebanon (UNOGIL) — as for the UNTSO ribbon. The United Nations medal awarded for serving in the Congo was issued with a blue and white ribbon and Congo bar. However, in 1963, it was decided that a distinctive ribbon for service with ONUC be issued and a blue and green ribbon with a narrow white stripe was decided on.
There is the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority in West New Guinea (UNTEA) — the United Nations Force in Cyprus, United Nations India-Pakistan Observer Mission and the United Nations Emergency Force Middle East medals. There is also the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the United Nations Good Offices Mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group. These are uniform medals given by the United Nations but thieir distinguishing mark is the various suspension ribbons that are designed in some way to reflect the areas in which the service was given and for which the medals were awarded.
The Government have awarded medals to 85 personnel of the Defence Forces in recognition of acts of gallantry and distinguished service associated with the United Nations service. I quote further from An Cosantóir dated 8 October 1988:
An Bonn Míleata Calmachte (BMC), the Military Medal for Gallantry, was instituted in 1948 and can be awarded in three classes.
The medal "may be awarded in recognition of the performance of any act of exceptional bravery or gallantry (other than one performed on war service) arising out of, or associated with, military service and involving risk to life or limb". To date, seven awards of this medal have been made, six 2nd Class and one 3rd Class. All but one were as a result of incidents associated with United Nations service.
The Distinguished Service Medal, was instituted in 1964 and can also be awarded in three classes. This medal "may be awarded in recognition of individual or associated acts of bravery, courage, leadership, resource or devotion to duty (other than any such acts or duty performed on war service) arising out of, or associated with, service in the Defence Forces and not meriting the award of An Bonn Míleata Calmachta". One hundred and two awards of this medal have been made. Eighty of these awards were as a result of United Nations service. As the time limit for this medal to be awarded is four years from the time of the incident to recommendation, it is possible for the entire Congo mission to be reviewed in the making of the awards.
Service with five separate United Nations Missions resulted in awards of medals for gallantry and distinguished service as follows:
ONUC — One 2nd Class Military Medal for Gallantry; Four 1st Class Distinguished Service Medals (DSM); Thirty 2nd Class DSMs; Thirty-one 3rd Class DSMs.
UNFICYP — One 1st Class DSM; One 2nd Class DSM.
UNTSO — One 2nd Class Military Medal fo Gallantry; One 2nd Class DSM.
UNEF — One 2nd Class DSM — this medal was awarded for services with UNTSO also.
UNIFIL — Four 2nd Class Military Medals for Gallantry; Two 1st Class DSMs; Six 2nd Class DSMs; Three 3rd Class DSMs.
The award of the Military Medal for Gallantry to Tropper Anthony Browne is perhaps the most "famous" of all these awards. It was awarded in recognition of his exceptional bravery which resulted in his death at Niemba, Republic of the Congo on 8 November, 1960. The citation to the award was:
“he endeavoured to create an opportunity to allow an injured comrade to escape by firing his Gustaf thereby drawing attention to his own position which he must have been aware would endanger his life; he had a reasonable opportunity of escaping because he was NOT wounded but chose to remain with an injured comrade.”
The medal was presented to Trooper Brown's father, Mr. John Browne, by the then Taoiseach Mr. Sean Lemass, TD at a ceremony in Collins Barracks on the first anniversary of the Niemba Ambush, 8 November, 1961.
My reason for saying all of these things is that these are various ways that recognition has been given to soldiers for their work, by the United Nations and by the Government.
On Wednesday, 12 October 1988 at the Ministerial review of the 64th Infantry Battalion, 57th Unit of the Defence Forces to serve overseas with the United Nations peace-keeping force, the Minister for Defence announced the Government's decision to award a medal for peace-keeping service with the United Nations. All personnel who have qualified for the United Nations medal will become eligible for this new medal which will be entitled the Service Medal for peace-keeping with the United Nations. The timing of this announcement, following closely on the award for the Nobel Peace Prize for 1988, has enhanced official recognition of members of the Permanent Defence Force in their contribution to peace-keeping duties with the United Nations worldwide.
The award of the first service medal for peace-keeping duties with the United Nations is still some six to nine months away. The necessary regulations and procedures had to be drawn up and the medal design will shortly be going out to tender for manufacture. At present there are some 8,000 serving personnel who are eligible for the medal and it is likely that approximately an additional 300 personnel will become eligible each year on having completed their first tour of duty with the United Nations. The medal should be awarded only once to an individual as it is deemed to be the national recognition of those on peace keeping service with the United Nations regardless of the number of tours of duty and the number of different missions he might serve with. As of now, it is not known how many ex-members of the Defence forces qualify for the medal as there is sizeable duplication in the tours of duty. There is the added difficulty of a change of home address. In the case of deceased personnel, it is intended to give the medal to the next of kin. The Minister has now decided to award medals to people who are serving with the United Nations. Therefore, all in all, the services of our peace keeping forces abroad are being officially recognised. The Taoiseach, in a letter dated 5 October 1988, to Lieutenant General T. O'Neill, the Chief of Staff, said:
I wish to convey to you and, through you, to all personnel of our Defence Forces my warmest congratulations on the announcement of the award of the 1988 Nobel Peace Prize to the United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces.
The members of the Defence Forces who participated in UN missions down the years have shown bravery, integrity and dedication. Some have laid down their lives in the cause of peace. They share in the honour of this Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the UN forces in which they have served with distinction for almost 30 years. The country is justly proud of them.
The Government are deeply appreciative of all the Defence Forces have done to advance the cause of peace and the standing of Ireland throughout the world. Please convey our best wishes to all members of the Defence Forces at present on UN service and to their comrades at home who have served with the UN in the past.