A senior naval officer, born and raised in Campbell River, has been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Captain (Navy) David Hudock, currently serving as Chief of Staff to the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, received the medal August 28.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal commemorates the 60th anniversary of the accession of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the throne as Queen of Canada. Medals are being presented throughout the year to deserving Canadians to celebrate significant contributions and achievements. Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander RCN, submitted Capt(N) Hudock’s name for the prestigious medal.
“I was very surprised to be awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal; nevertheless, I am extremely humbled and honoured that I did get it,” says Capt(N) Hudock. “My successes were always as a result of being part of excellent teams and ships’ companies, thus I always tried to ensure my staff (and not I) were selected for such honours. However, I am grateful for the recognition of my own hard work and dedication to the RCN and the Canadian Forces.”
Although Capt(N) Hudock left Campbell River to join the navy in 1981, his mother, Frances Hudock, grandmother Harriet Cameron, and several other family members continue to live here.
During the early years of his career, Capt(N) Hudock was a ship’s navigating officer and combat officer.
As such, he saw considerable service aboard several ships during operations and exercises around the world. Most notable amongst those was aboard the Canadian flagship HMCS Athabaskan from 1990-1992 that included service with Coalition Forces during the Persian Gulf War; aboard HMCS Iroquois from 1983-1986 that participated in several major NATO deployments, as well as several search and rescue operations and support to RCMP operations.