Amer Khammash, (born 14 November 1924, in Al-Salt, Transjordan) was a

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

ian

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

, political and personal adviser to King

Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of ...

as well as being His Majesty's Special representative, and being the Chief of The Royal Hashemite Court twice. Along with being a member of the Senate of Jordan for five different terms.

Biography

He was the son of a lawyer and judge "Mohammad Baseem" Khammash, who was well known for being the country's first court judge. Amongst his achievements, General Khammash was the first recognized Jordanian pilot and received his pilot training in RAF Middle Wallop in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

in 1949, and received his wings in 1950 from the Late Founder of Jordan, King Abdullah I. He returned to

and later attended

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

in 1958, where his portrait hangs in The Hall of Fame in the Staff College. After graduating from the College he returned to Jordan and was promoted to General Chief of Staff in 1967 after the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 ...

. Following this he held various high ranking positions such as:

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

, Personal Representative of his Majesty King Hussein, Minister of the Royal Hashemite Court, and Personal and Political Advisor to His Majesty King Hussein until he was appointed to the Upper House of the

Parliament of Jordan The Parliament of Jordan ( ar, مجلس الأمة ') is the bicameral Jordanian national assembly. Established by the 1952 Constitution, the legislature consists of two houses: the Senate ( ar, مجلس الأعيان ''Majlis Al-Aayan'') an ...

in 1988. He held this position until the year 2000. General Khammash died after a short illness in

Amman, Jordan Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 as of 2021, Amman is ...

on 13 February 2010 at the age of 85. He was given a full

military funeral A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards o ...

in Jordan, which was televised throughout the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, and was survived by his two sons Mazen and Maher, daughter Suzi, 9 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren.

Awards and decorations

Amongst his many achievements and medals that he received in his well-accomplished career, the most notable were the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, the highest-ranking French decoration, which was awarded to him by President

Charles De Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

also presented him with an Associate Knighthood of the

Venerable Order of St John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British British monarchy ...

. He was also awarded the highest honor medals from King Hussein bin Talal for duties to his country: Grand Cordon (1st class) of the Order of Independence, Grand Cordon (1st class) of the

Order of the Star of Jordan The Order of the Star of Jordan (Wisam al-Kawkab al-Urduni) or The Order of Hussein ibn Ali (Wisam al-Hussein ibn Ali) is an award and military decoration of the sovereign state of Jordan and is awarded for military or civil merit. It was founde ...

and Grand Cordon with Brilliants of the

Supreme Order of the Renaissance The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (, "Medal of the Nahda") is the second knighthood order of the Kingdom of Jordan. History The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the ...

. He also received the Vatican Medal from Pope John Paul II and many other Medals from various Arab and International Leaders. During his career, General Khammash met numerous Heads of State including every U.S President starting with Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958 and culminating with President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

in 1992.

Honours

* : **

Grand Cordon with Brilliants of the

Grand Cordon of the

Grand Cordon of the Order of Independence ** JOR Order of the Millitary Merit GC

Grand Cordon of the Order of Military Merit **

Recipient of the Long Service Medal ** Medal for the Battle of Karama 1968

Recipient of the Medal for Participation in the

Battle of Karameh The Battle of Karameh ( ar, معركة الكرامة) was a 15-hour military engagement between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and combined forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) in the Jor ...

Recipient of the Silver Jubilee of Hussein bin Talal ** Recipient of the Medal for Joint Military Operations 1942 (Iraq and Syria Campaign Medal) ** Recipient of the Medal for the 1939-1945 War (World War II Campaign Medal) ** Recipient of the Medal for Military Operations in Palestine 1948 * : ** GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 7 Grosskreuz

Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

* : **

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...

(gcYC) * : ** Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector

Associate Knight of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (KStJ) ** Ribbon - 1939-45 Star

Recipient of the

1939-1945 Star World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Recipient of the Defence Medal ** War Medal 1939–1945 (UK) ribbon

Recipient of the

War Medal 1939-1945 War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

Recipient of the General Service Medal (1918) * : ** US Legion of Merit Commander ribbon

Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

External links

Prime Ministry of Jordan website

Ammon News Article

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khammash, Amer 1924 births 2010 deaths People from Al-Salt Jordanian generals Jordanian aviators Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College Government ministers of Jordan Defence ministers of Jordan Transport ministers of Jordan Members of the Senate of Jordan Recipients of the Legion of Honour Knights of the Order of St John Recipients of the Order of Independence (Jordan) Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany