ITALY: Supreme Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
In March of 2000, the President of Italy, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, met with General Clark and awarded him the decoration of Supreme Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
The Order recognizes distinguished services in war by individual personnel as well as units of the armed forces.
The Ordine Militare d'Italia (Military Order of Italy) is the highest military order of Italy, originally established as the Military Order of Savoy in 1815 by King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia.
The Order has five classes, in descending order: Knight Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, and Knight.
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