On 16 March 2012, former US General David Petraeus was appointed Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Orange-Nassau with swords at the Netherlands Ministry of Defence in The Hague.
Petraeus received this high decoration in recognition of the exceptional service he has rendered to the Netherlands during his various military commands, especially during the mission in Afghanistan. Minister of Defence Hans Hillen awarded the decoration.
In his speech, Minister Hillen thanked Petraeus for his unconditional support for Dutch servicemen and women and for being the driving force behind a successful mission. Thanks to his personal endeavours in support of cooperation between the Netherlands and the US, the Netherlands achieved significant operational successes with its Task Force Uruzgan.
Commander ISAF
David Petraeus has been the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since 6 September 2011. Earlier in his career, he served as Commander of US Central Command in Florida and as Commander of the Multi-National Force – Iraq. From July 2010, he was in command of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan for a year. He is the first American general to receive such a high decoration since the Second World War.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , March 22, 2012; Image: defensie