Order of Ouissam Alaouite
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The Order of Ouissam Alaouite or the Royal Order of Al-Alaoui is a military decoration of Morocco which is bestowed by the King of Morocco upon those civilians and military officers who have displayed heroism in combat or have contributed meritorious service to the Moroccan state. The decoration was established on January 11, 1913 and is awarded in five classes: Grand Cross (Grand Croix), Grand Officer (Grand Officier), Commander (Commandeur), Officer (Officier) and Knight (Chevalier).[1]
The Order of Ouissam Alaouite is similar to the Legion of Merit, awarded by the United States military. During the Second World War, the Order of Ouissam Alaouite was bestowed frequently on United States military personnel who had participated in the planning and execution of Operation Torch, the invasion of French Morocco. In addition, because Morocco was a protectorate of France from 1912 to 1956, the decoration was bestowed frequently on French military officers during that period.
[edit] Notable recipients
- Albert I - King of Belgium from 1909 to 1934 [2]
- Henry H. "Hap" Arnold - commanding general of the United States Army Air Force during World War II
- Andrew Cunningham - British admiral, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean and later First Sea Lord during the Second World War
- Dwight D. Eisenhower - U.S. general and later President of the United States
- Henri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves - French resistance fighter
- Alphonse Juin - - French general (later Marshal of France)
- Marie Pierre Koenig - French general (later Marshal of France)
- Jean de Lattre de Tassigny - French general (later Marshal of France)
- André Malraux - French author, adventurer and statesman
- George Marshall - U.S. general and later Secretary of State
- Raoul Monclar - French general who took a reduction in rank so as to command the French battalion in the Korean War
- George S. Patton - U.S. general
- Saint-Just Pequart - French archaeologist
- René Pleven - French politician
- Arthur Tedder - RAF officer and Deputy Supreme Commander under Eisenhower in World War II, later a Marshal of the Royal Air Force
- Anthony Bailey, Inter-faith campaigner and Chairman of Painting & Patronage
- Wesley Clark - U.S. general
- Ernesto Burzagli, Italian admiral
- Francisco Pérez Pérez, Spanish infantry captain
[edit] Trivia
In the opening scene of the film Patton, George C. Scott, portraying then-Major General Patton, is shown receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite.
