WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Captain Joseph Grant, a U.S.
World War II pilot, will be in the Washington, DC area this week for the
national book launch of "King Abdulaziz...His Plane and His Pilot," by Michael
Saba. Captain Grant will provide a rare first-hand account of the history and
the beginning of the diplomatic Saudi-U.S. relationship as the first pilot to
King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud, the founder of the third Saudi state,
in 1945.
Captain Grant, who is 101 years old, flew a Douglas-DC-3 aircraft to Saudi
Arabia to be delivered as a gift to King Abdulaziz from President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt, following the leader's historic meeting aboard the USS
Quincy on February 14, 1945. Subsequently, he served two years in the Kingdom
as the first airline pilot to King Abdulaziz. Captain Grant was also
instrumental in the establishment of Saudi Arabia's first national airline and
the training of its pilots.
On November 12, Captain Grant and author Dr. Saba will be at the Glenn L.
Martin Maryland Aviation Museum in Baltimore, MD from 12:00 p.m. into the
afternoon, and at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC on
November 14, from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir expressed
appreciation to Captain Grant saying, "Captain Grant's efforts to help develop
aviation in Saudi Arabia and to unite our two countries under a mutual
interest still resonate today and we will forever be grateful."
On January 28, 2009, Captain Grant was presented with the King Abdulaziz
Medal, which is awarded in recognition of significant contributions made by an
individual to the Kingdom. In addition, on March 22, 2007, Captain Grant was
presented with the Friends of Saudi Arabia's Hart Award. This award is named
for Ambassador Parker T. Hart who opened the first U.S. Consulate in Dhahran,
Saudi Arabia over 60 years ago and served as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from
1961-1965.
For more information on Saudi-U.S. relations, please visit
www.saudiembassy.net.
This is distributed by Qorvis Communications, LLC on behalf of the Royal
Embassy of Saudi Arabia. Additional information is available at the
Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
SOURCE Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Information Office
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia Information Office, Washington, DC,
press@saudiembassy.net
