Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bin Abdullah Bin Hammad Al-Marshed, Royal Saudi Land Force commander, center, laughs as fellow International Hall of Fame inductee Brig. Gen. Dario Oscar Tapia, Belize Defence Force commander, and Combined Arms Center Command Sgt...

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (April 15, 2010) - Two international general officers and Command and General Staff College graduates were inducted into the International Hall of Fame April 8 at a ceremony in the Lewis and Clark Center's Eisenhower Auditorium.

Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bin Abdullah Bin Hammad Al-Marshed, of Saudi Arabia, and Brig. Gen. Dario Oscar Tapia, of Belize, were inducted to the IHOF as its 235th and 236th members, respectively.

Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., commander of the Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, said only about 3 percent of the more than 7,000 international graduates of CGSC have been inducted into the IHOF.

"It's an honor to recognize and honor the achievements of these two incredible officers. Today they join the ranks of other distinguished officers in the International Hall of Fame," Caslen said.

Marshed is a 1984 graduate of CGSC and currently serves as commander of the Royal Saudi Land Force. He is the third graduate from Saudi Arabia and third graduate of the class of 1984 to be inducted into the IHOF.

Marshed said CGSC enabled him to transition from tactical to strategic thinking, and said it prepared him for combat during the Persian Gulf War and command at the highest levels of his military.

"The lesson I made at Command and General Staff College directly affected my career to defend my country," Marshed said.

He said he made lasting friendships with other students and his sponsors, and said he was privileged and honored to be inducted into the IHOF.

"What a great moment in my life," Marshed said.

Tapia is a 2005 graduate of CGSC and currently serves as commander of the Belize Defence Force. Caslen said there were 88 international military students from 76 countries in Tapia's class, but said Tapia was the first in his class to reach the rank of general officer.

Tapia described the CGSC curriculum as demanding, and he said it helped prepare him for future military schools and eventually to take command of the Belize Defence Force.

"The military education that I received gave me a different perspective of the world," Tapia said. "The CGSC curriculum gave me a well-rounded comprehension of the needs and demands of a leader."

Caslen said Tapia has served at all levels of the Belize Defence Force and is well respected within his military.

Tapia said he learned many important military and American cultural lessons while at CGSC, and said he appreciated the continued support and friendship from his sponsors and classmates.

"For me, it is with the greatest humility and honor that I accept this wonderful accolade," Tapia said.

The IHOF was founded in 1973 to provide a means of recognition of international military student graduates who have obtained one of the highest positions of importance in their respective countries' armed forces. Sixteen IHOF inductees have also gone on to become the chief executive of their countries. The IHOF was founded jointly by CGSC, the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars and the CGSC Alumni Association. During the ceremony, inductees are presented a CGSC certificate of honor by the MOWW, and a Life Constituent Certificate and eagle statuette from the CGSC Foundation. A framed portrait of each inductee is placed in the IHOF gallery on the third floor of the Lewis and Clark Center.