The Order of Ouissam Alaouite () or the Sharifian 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 11 January 1913 in replacement of the Order of Ouissam Hafidien. It is awarded in five classes: Grand Cordon (Grand cordon), Grand Officer (Grand Officier), Commander (Commandeur), Officer (Officier) and Knight (Chevalier). The Order of Ouissam Alaouite is similar to the Legion of Merit, awarded by the United States military. History The order of Ouissam Alaouite was created during the colonial period. The French authorities in Morocco considered it necessary to have the power to bestow an official honour or decoration in response to loyal service; and they wanted to avoid over-burdening the bureaucracy of the order of the Légion d'Honneur in Paris. The ribbon of the order during this period was a shade of orange or pumpkin-coloured. In 1934, a white stripe was added on each side of the ribbon. 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. Morocco was a protectorate of France from 1912 to 1956, and the decoration was bestowed frequently on French military officers during that period. After Moroccan independence in 1956, the Alawid Order became a prerogative of the Alawid King and his heirs. The Order continues through the present day, the original medal and the 1934's ribbon unchanged. Recipients Albert I of Belgium Anthony Bailey (PR advisor) John Edwin Bircher III Paul Biya Luc Chatel Wesley Clark Ernest J. Dawley Paul Doury Émile-Joseph Duzer Thomas Scheen Falck Mohamed Habib Gherab Jean Gilles (French Army officer) Edvard Hambro René Imbot Jared Kushner Jean Joseph (soldier) Hubert Lyautey André Malraux Mohamed El Mansour Harry McLear Miguel Ángel Moratinos Saint-Just Pequart Francisco Pérez Pérez Bertrand Piccard Luis Planas René Pleven Michel Raingeard Elliott Roosevelt Dominique Strauss-Kahn Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder Jürgen Tönsmann Charles Tordjman Louis Vannier Geoffrey Weston Officers Mhamed Ben Abboud Dimitri Amilakhvari Robert Chastel Paul Arnaud de Foïard Vanessa Branson Henri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves Pier Antonio Panzeri Xavier Rolet Yuri Senkevich Michael Zaoui Yoel Zaoui Knights Gustave Daladier Ayoub Qanir Ibrahim Latif Grand Crosses Abbas