Jordan marks the 62nd anniversary for Arabization the Jordanian army. (Petra)
Jordanians celebrate 62nd anniversary for Arabization of the Jordanian Army command
In the 62nd anniversary of the Arabization of the Jordanian Army command, King Abdullah II tweeted greeting Jordanians and the Jordanian Army efforts in saving the country.
جيشنا ما كان يوما إلا جيشا أردنيا، عربيا، مصطفويا، درعا للعروبة وسيفا للحق، وسيظل كذلك على الدوام بسواعد جنده وعزائم الأردنيين. حفظ الله جيشنا العربي وحفظ الأردن العزيز
— عبدالله بن الحسين (@KingAbdullahII) March 1, 2018
Translation: Our army will always be Jordanian Arab army, a shield for Arabs and a sword for truth, and it will always be sword in Jordanian soldiers’ hands and their determination. May God bless our Army and Jordan.
Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah also greeted Jordanians on Twitter this morning, he posted:
جيشنا المصطفوي منذ نشأ وهو جيش عربي أبيّ، وبإذن الله سيظل درعا للعروبة وسياجا للوطن #تعريب_قيادة_الجيش #أردننا
— الحسين بن عبدالله (@AlHusseinHKJ) March 1, 2018
The Arab Army has always been the guarantor of #OurJordan's liberty and security, and it will always remain a source of pride for our entire Arab nation pic.twitter.com/W754YUd2LF
For the occasion, King Abdullah II received congratulatory cables from Jordanian officials who expressed their pride in the historic decision, which was taken by the Late King Hussein Bin Talal, making the army a role model in defending the stability of the nation.
Since 1956, Jordanians have celebrated the anniversary of Arabizing the Jordanian Army on March 1st. The event celebrates King Hussein’s dismissal of senior British officers commanding the Arab Legion and the subsequent renaming of the legion into the Jordanian Armed Forces.
Upon learning of the decisions, the angered British government demanded that all the remaining senior British officers resign.
As a result of the Arabization, the police were separated from the Army as the Public Security Directorate under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior. Furthermore, major General Radi Annab succeeded John Bagot Glubb as chief of staff, becoming the first Arab commander of the Arab Legion.
