Gen. David Petraeus Receives the William J. Donovan Award
WASHINGTON, May 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- General David H. Petraeus, Commander of the United States Central Command, received the William J. Donovan Award from The OSS Society on May 2, 2009 at an event attended=2 0by more than 600 people in Washington, DC at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
(Photo:
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The William J. Donovan Award is named after the founder of World War II's Office of Strategic Services (OSS), Major General William "Wild Bill" Donovan. OSS was the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Special Operations Forces. General Donovan is the only American to have received our nation's four highest decorations, including the Medal of Honor.
The William J. Donovan Award is given to an individual who has rendered distinguished service in the interests20of the democratic process, the cause of freedom and has exemplified General Donovan's tradition of public service.
Previous recipients of the William J. Donovan Award include Presidents Eisenhower, Reagan, and Bush; Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Sir William Stephenson, Allen Dulles, Richard Helms, William Colby, William Casey, Ralph Bunche, and William Webster.
Charles Pinck, OSS Society President, said that "in much the same manner that General Donovan created a revolutionary new organization capable of waging unconventional warfare with OSS, General Petraeus has revolutionized the Army's view of counterinsurgency by challenging conventional wisdom, by recruiting supremely talented and diverse people to help him, and by overcoming formidable internal and external obstacles to turn the tide in Iraq and, we hope, in Afghanistan."
OSS Society Chairman Major General John K. Singlaub, USA (Ret.), in presenting the award to General Petraeus, said that "General Petraeus' leadership of our military has been nothing less than inspirational. It is fitting that we honor General David Petraeus, a man of courage, vision, and intellect, a leader who, like General Donovan, has led by example. Tonight, we honor General Petraeus for all that he has done and all that he will do on behalf of our nation."
The OSS Society celebrates the historical accomplishments of World War II's Office of Strategic Services - the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Special Operations Forces – and educates the American public about the importance of strategic intelligence to our national security.
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