US contribution to Erebus formally recognised

Almost 30 years after the Erebus tragedy the New Zealand government is to formally recognise the help it received from Americans at the time with a special medal ceremony in Washington.

A number of US service personnel based in Antarctica were involved in searching for the missing Air New Zealand DC10 when it slammed into Mt Erebus while on a sightseeing flight on November 28, 1979. All 257 passengers and crew died.

Once the crash site had been identified the Americans helped New Zealand teams with the gruelling task of body identification and recovery.

Last year many New Zealand police officers and civilians who were involved in the disaster recovery mission were awarded New Zealand Special Service (Erebus) medals.

At the time, former US Navy photographer Richard L Horton, of Michigan, lashed out at the lack of recognition for the support Americans had offered.

He accused New Zealanders of being "callous and self-centred".

A Defence Force spokesman said a search for US citizens eligible for the medal began in 2007 but staff changes and other workload commitments meant the formal offer of medals to the US government was not completed last year.

That will be rectified next Thursday, when the medals will be awarded to 11 US citizens in a ceremony at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington.

New Zealand Ambassador Roy Ferguson will present the medals, with Vice Chief of Defence Force Rear-Admiral Jack Steer and New Zealand police liaison officer in Washington, Superintendent Sandra Manderson, also attending.

Retired police sergeant Mark Penn, one of the last searchers to leave Mt Erebus, will be a guest speaker and a video message from Prime Minister John Key will also be played.

While 40 US citizens were eligible to receive the medal, only 11 were able to attend the presentation, a Defence Force spokeswoman said.

A further 11 medals would be presented or issued separately this year and efforts would continue to track down the remaining eligible US citizens.

- NZPA