Brigadier-General Chetty awarded prestigious Brazilian medals for rescue efforts

IN RECOGNITION of his swift coordination efforts to rescue a Brazilian sailor, Brigadier-General Donovan Chetty of the South African Air Force (SAAF), was recently conferred with two prestigious military medals.

- NADIA KHAN

Chetty, who is the SAAF’s director of corporate staff services, was recently awarded the Brazilian Navy’s Order of Naval Merit and Santos-Dumont Merit Medal at a ceremony at the Embassy of Brazil in Pretoria.

The Order of Naval Merit is awarded to both Brazilian naval personnel and foreign individuals who have distinguished themselves in naval activities or have contributed to Brazil’s maritime interests.

The Santos-Dumont Merit Medal is a Brazilian decoration created to honour civilians and military, Brazilian or foreign, for outstanding services rendered to the Brazilian Air Force.

Chetty, 49, of Pretoria, said he was “surprised” as his goal was to help save the life of the sailor who had a heart attack while on board a Brazilian warship during Exercise Ibsamar VIII, a naval exercise involving Brazil, India and South Africa in October last year.

The exercise focused on enhancing interoperability and maritime security through a series of drills conducted both ashore and at sea.