Saddam Husseins awards

[Bob]

Looking hard on the internet for an overview of Saddam's awards (curious if he might have any Soviet ones for instance... Order of Friendship for instance:)).

ANyway, if somebody already has a link / pic please post!

[Ed_Haynes]

Some of this information was published in an article in JOMSA some time back, though largly based on stolen research (oh, sorry, that's another thread). Never being very friendly with the Soviets, he had none of these (Ba'ath gained foreign friends by executing communists, not getting medals from them).

Let me check my notes . . . .

[Bob]

Haven't found an awards overview yet, but did you know Saddam was also a great novelist?

"Zabibah and the King (زبيبة والملك , or Zabibah wal-Malik), written in 2000, is a novel that the CIA believes was written by Saddam Hussein, probably with the help of some ghostwriters.[1] The plot is a love story about a powerful ruler of medieval Iraq and a beautiful commoner girl named Zabiba. Zabiba's husband is a cruel and unloving man who rapes her. The book is set in 7th or 8th century Tikrit, Hussein's home town."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein%27s_novels

[Bob]

Here already some info... but not a complete overview nor a pic:

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aasaddambio.htm

- Rafidain Order, First Class ( Military type ).

- Rafidain Order ( Civilian type ).

- Revolution Order first Class

- Order of the People.

[Bob]

A number of these (not Saddam's presumably) are currently actually for sale on eBay

[Ed_Haynes]

Saddam medals on show in SA

16/01/2007 20:08 - (SA)

Johannesburg - A South African soldier's passion for military memorabilia led him to buy a set of medals belonging to executed Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein - and they are now on display in Johannesburg.

"Medals tell the story of a country. The medals are very, very colourful and the medals and medallions tell a story," said William Endley, a retired national defence force colonel now working for a United States de-mining company.

"The Middle East has its own way of doing things... ours are much more formal."

Endley was speaking from southern Sudan, where he is clearing explosives and landmines so food aid can be transported, and teaching locals to do the same.

Wanted only to be a soldier

He started collecting military memorabilia at the age of 14 with items left to him by his grandfather.

"I was five years old when I decided to become a soldier. It's all I ever wanted to be."

In mid-2004 he was working in Iraq when he was offered a set of Saddam's awards by a former soldier who probably bought them from a Baghdad medals dealer. Endley immediately bought the collection.

"It was quite an expensive little exercise."

In January, he loaned Saddam's medals to the SA National Museum of Military History where they are on display to the public.

The collection is in excellent condition and includes sashes, medals and orders.

There is a photograph of Saddam, taken more than 20 years ago and wearing full dress uniform with his awards.

Museum staff say there has been great interest in the collection, particularly from military experts.

"It's quite a coup," said museum spokesman Allan Sinclair.

Museum acting director Sandi MacKenzie said it was unusual to get such a collection so soon after the original owner's death or fall from power.

"It normally takes us 100 years to get something like this."

Experts believe the collection is genuine.

MacKenzie explained that heads of state often have duplicate sets of medals and orders, for travelling.

MacKenzie said the first four medals Saddam was awarded were for gallantry and these he got before taking power. "He earned them as a soldier would earn them."

His awards include the rare Wisam al-Jadara or Order of Merit - awarded to only three or four Iraqi rulers - and for the 1948-'49 Palestinian War, for crushing the Kurdish rebellion, for the 1963 and 1968 revolutions, for co-operation with Syria, for peace in 1970, and for the 1973 war with Israel.

Pride of place

His Order of the Mother of Battles has a star and a sash in the red, black and white of the Iraqi flag with "Allah Akbar" (God is Great) on it, for the 1991 Gulf War against Kuwait and the US.

Saddam received the Order of the Two Rivers, which Endley described as the piece of which he was proudest.

This was a civilian and military award, and had republican and royal versions. Saddam wore a military version.

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/...2055801,00.html

[Ed_Haynes]

Interesting, though I wonder how many others serving in Iraq were sold "his" awards?

I know of at last one other who claims to own them.

Sure, I believed he'd have had more than one set made up, but I also smell the distinctive acrid odor of free-wheeling Iraqi capitalism.

[Riley1965]

I strongly believe that Saddam's ODMs belong in a museum!!! There they could be part of a display about a terrible point in history. A warning to us all of the dangers of such a man. To be honest, I've held a grudge since the death of my friend and his ship mates lost on board the USS Stark on 17 May 1987.

I would like to see his ODMs for myself or at least pictures from the display. I guess I could ask my friend, who does the SA medal research for me, to visit the museum and take some pics.

Doc

[Ed_Haynes]

While I am not sure what the link to the Stark is, I would agree that he is surely one of the major figures of the 20th Century. Let us not, please, stray into "bloody shirt" territory . . . .

[Sal]

Looking hard on the internet for an overview of Saddam's awards (curious if he might have any Soviet ones for instance... Order of Friendship for instance:)).

ANyway, if somebody already has a link / pic please post!

Hey Bob....I founf a wall clock here in Baghdad with a picture of Saddam in uniform wearing his awards. I could not see it well enough to them all. I will try to get the guy to let me take a photo of it instead of buying it.....although it might be neat as well. More to follow as it's Friday and they are not open today......

In the interim I found these pics on the internet....it's not the greatest but might be able to start building on it.

As I can see them from left to right as you look at the picture from Bender Publishing:

Wissam al-Rafidain, GC Military Division

Medal Bar:

Unknown Medal

Medal for Bravery 1963-1990

General Service Medal 1959

Medal for the palestine War 1948-49

Medal for Crushing the Northern Uprising

Medal for 14 Ramadan Revolution 1963??

Medal for 17 July Revolution 1968

Medal for Cooperation 1967-1973

Medal for Peace 1970

Army Golden Jubilee Medal (gold class) 1971

Medal for the 1973 War with Israel

Tony

Still working on the clock with the full length picture in uniform

Edited May 13, 2007 by Sal

[sabrigade]

Hey Bob....I founf a wall clock here in Baghdad with a picture of Saddam in uniform wearing his awards. I could not see it well enough to them all. I will try to get the guy to let me take a photo of it instead of buying it.....although it might be neat as well. More to follow as it's Friday and they are not open today......

In the interim I found these pics on the internet....it's not the greatest but might be able to start building on it.

As I can see them from left to right as you look at the picture from Bender Publishing:

Wissam al-Rafidain, GC Military Division

Medal Bar:

Unknown Medal

Medal for Bravery 1963-1990

General Service Medal 1959

Medal for the palestine War 1948-49

Medal for Crushing the Northern Uprising

Medal for 14 Ramadan Revolution 1963??

Medal for 17 July Revolution 1968

Medal for Cooperation 1967-1973

Medal for Peace 1970

Army Golden Jubilee Medal (gold class) 1971

Medal for the 1973 War with Israel

Tony

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_05_2007/post-1625-1178902055.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_05_2007/post-1625-1179046537.jpg

Still working on the clock with the full length picture in uniform

Hi All,

I am the owner of the display in Johannesburg.I am currently the Country Programme Manager for an American Demining Company and am based in the Sudan.There are definitely more than one set of orders,medals and decorations that can/have been attributed to Saddam Hussein available internationally.The give-away or possible clue,in my humble opinion,is the first award on the medal bar which is referred to as an unknown award in the various posts.This is or was a very scarce award and was known as the Order of Merit.As far as I have been able to ascertain,this award was given to a very small number of people of which Saddam was one.I will attempt to provide photographs of the display when I return to South Africa in a few weeks time for a break.

[Ed_Haynes]

Yes, I am convinced that, for the right price, a foreigner in Iraq could obtain "Saddam Hussein's" awards. Probably a piece of the "true cross" as well.

There is so much mythology and disinformation around regarding his awards, that it is almost not worth offering corrections.

[sabrigade]

Yes, I am convinced that, for the right price, a foreigner in Iraq could obtain "Saddam Hussein's" awards. Probably a piece of the "true cross" as well.

There is so much mythology and disinformation around regarding his awards, that it is almost not worth offering corrections.

Thanks Ed,

Unfortunately,there are not many accurate references available regarding his personal as well as the other Iraqi awards.The best article on Iraqi Awards remains the one you compiled and,no pun intended,it is literally a minefield out there in both researching and obtaining specific items.I built up my requirements and objectives for my Iraqi collection from your article.There are citations for certain awards given to members of the Iraqi Armed Forces during his reign,some awards were even connected to additional rewards such as Insurance Policies and other special items such as pistols and special swords but these are few and very far between and are very difficult to find.My main collecting field remains militaria and medals to South Africans in France for World War 1, but I have found the Middle Eastern Awards very fascinating,especially those that were awarded to Saddam Himself.The exciting part is the gap that remains to make new discoveries and identifications and also confirm previous research.It also has given me a lot of insight into the history of both the country and the region.

[oamotme]

Good afternoon Ed & William,

Greetings from Riyadh - the 1st medal or Wissam Al Jadarah is available as a part of a a set of four grades/ classes/ degrees but for the princely sum of, I think $3,000. I suspect that the vendor in Baghdad will have to wait an awfully long time before he makes a sale at that price. I was fortunate in obtaining the 1st Class in a bulk lot at an auction in Paris in the early 1990's for about $25. I agree with William that studying the awards of the region does give one an insight into the history of the Middle East or at last some of its more obscure events! Equally Ed's comments about the faction that surrounds many of these awards is very true. With regard to this award in particular I have obtained from the souk here in Riyadh a cast copy - I cannot imagine why such a piece would have been made - surely not to con a collector as the quality is so poor but at $5 it has novelty value.

Regards,

Owain

[Guest IMHF]

Saddam Hussien's Medals on display in South Africa

He had earned the first 4 medals while a soldier. He was also awarded the rare

Wisam

al-Jadara - Order of Merit

- awarded to only three or four Iraqi rulers.

How to view:

click on the link below then on the site scroll down until you see the image of Saddam's Medal bar, it will say next to it

Saddam's military medals on

play.

It will have a 56k next to it as well. You will need to have

RealPlayer Beta

to view, it will ask you if you want to down load realplayer click yes /run This player will let you down load the video for free. You never know when they will take the video off the site so now is the time to get it.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070119/world.htm

Thank you

God Bless

SSG Luna, Lorenzo

[Ed_Haynes]

These is so much fantasy and delusional fiction regarding his awards that one is unsure even where to start. Kind of like the market for slivers of the "true cross" in an earlier "crusade"?

[Chris Boonzaier]

I assume there were 15-25 sets for him, basically one in each house.

All just as official as the next one, and they must all be somewhere?

In theory there are probably a number of collectors out there with original Saddam sets.

best

Chris

[Ed_Haynes]

I assume there were 15-25 sets for him, basically one in each house.

All just as official as the next one, and they must all be somewhere?

In theory there are probably a number of collectors out there with original Saddam sets.

best

Chris

Yes, Chris, just like pieces of the "true cross". And Arab merchants got rich from them too.

Provenance, provenance, provenance.

Or, if one prefers, myth, myth, myth.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Yes, Chris, just like pieces of the "true cross". And Arab merchants got rich from them too.

Provenance, provenance, provenance.

Or, if one prefers, myth, myth, myth.

I would guess that these would have to be examined on a case to case basis? As I dont believe there ever was a cross... I dont think there can be true pieces... but I do believe Saddam had medals.

For the ORIGINAL ones I would imagine the trail would be.... Civilians/GIs/Cops/god knows who ... loot a building/Palace/Office and come away with a ton of booty....

6 months down the road someone says... "Hey, look at this pic of Saddam... he has the medals you found...."...

In all the cases where that happened... the trail of "proof" is gone....

Can we discredit these groups just because the trail has a gap in it and the guy cannot remember exactly where he found it?

We would run the risk of saying "That bar is worth the sum of the individual medals, so lets break it up and sell it..."

[Guest IMHF]

You have to be careful with the Wisam al-Jadara In Saddams Medal Bar, in his bar the Wisam al-Jadara is more plated with

gold and in between the wing and the oil field Towers they cut the flash from the eagle so you can see the blue background, This is the Rare Wisam-al Jadara that they advertise in one of my Aurthus Bertrand advertisments in the 1970's all the Saddam medal bars that are showing up do not have the cut on the eagles wing. I have 3 First Class Wisam al-Jadaras two with the flash on the wing and one like Saddam wore that was cut in between the oil field towers on both sides of the medal so you can see the blue back grounjd, also the scales on the eagles legs are more thicker in detail. My Iraqi antique dealer friend in Baghdad, Iraq can make me a Saddam Medal Bar for less than $1,000.00. with one single mouting bar and all the 11 longer ribbons to hang from the breast pocket in an even fashion.

Its an Iraqi ODM collectors "DREAM" to have a Saddam's Medal Bar.

[Guest IMHF]

Here are my two Wisam al-Jadaras from my Iraqi ODM that do not have the flash cut from the eagles wings. I bought them from an Iraqi antique dealer in Baghdad , Iraq

Wisam al-Jadara First Class

Established by law No. 46 of 1972

Manfactured by: Arthus Bertrand Paris, France

Only known to have been awarded to three key leaders of Iraq, one being Saddam Hussein. I bought these from an antique dealer in Baghdad, Iraq near one of Saddam Hussein's Palaces.

I have all four Classes of the Wisam al-Jadara

1.Wisam al-Jadara First Class Gold with blue enameling (I have 2 of these)

2.Wisam al-Jadara First Class Gold only

3.Wisam al-Jadara 2ND Class Silver with Golden Egale

4.Wisam al-Jadara 3rd Class Bronze

I paid $450.00 for my first, First Class Wisam al-Jadara which you see here in the red box and my second First Class Wisam al-Jadara I paid $625.00 the one with the white back ground. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze I also paid $625.00 each for them as well.

[Guest IMHF]

All Four Classes

[Paul R]

Those pieces are absolutely amazing!

[Guest IMHF]

Wisam al-Jadara First class with the flash cut in between the Republic Eagle's wing and the Oil Towers, this is the type Saddam wore on his MEDAL BAR. This type has a brighter Gold finish on the medal.

[Guest IMHF]

PICTURE of SADDAM with his ORDERS and MEDALS: