Commander Marcus Jacques (45) has received the Danish Defence Medal for Meritorious International Service.
Presenting Cdr Jacques – an Old Victorian – with the medal, the Danish Ambassador to the United States, Peter Taksoe-Jensen, said: ‘Serving at sea and ashore at the UN Joint Mission in Cyprus, Commander Jacques has provided priceless support for Operation Recsyr. His persistent focus on mission accomplishment in difficult situations was the prerequisite for the successful outcome of the whole operation.’
Without being recovered, Mr Jacques said, the chemical agents could have found their way to ISIS operatives or could have been used in Syria.
He is now serving as the UK’s liaison officer to the Pacific Command, which is based in Oahu, Hawaii, where he lives with his wife Karen and son Monty (9).
According to the Royal Navy’s website, Operation Recsyr ‘marks the culmination of the diplomatic efforts to eliminate chemical weapons from the Syrian regime and the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2118, which calls for the expeditious destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons programme’.
Under the operation, Syrian authorities were responsible for the ground transport of the chemicals to Port Latakia, where they were loaded onto two merchant vessels for removal.
Cdr Jacques mother, Marie, who lives in Grouville, said she was very proud of his achievement. She explained that after signing up for lessons with the Channel Islands Yacht Club as a child, Marcus grew to love sailing and later joined the Combined Cadet Forces at Victoria College.
‘He really loved it, especially the sailing, and did very well there. Then he decided he would join the Royal Navy,’ she said. ‘It all went well from there. It really is a very prestigious medal.’
The 181 containers recovered during operation Recsyr were carrying a total of 1,300 tonnes of dangerous chemicals. In 2014 the last of the units was transported to the US, Britain and Finland for destruction.
