Peter Julien Ortiz
| Pierre (Peter) Julien Ortiz | |
|---|---|
Colonel Peter J. Ortiz, U.S. Marine Corps
|
|
| Born |
July 5, 1913 New York City |
| Died | May 16, 1988 (aged 74) |
| Allegiance |
 United States France |
| Service/branch |
United States Marine Corps French Foreign Legion |
| Rank |
Colonel, USMCR Acting Lieutenant, FFL |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Navy Cross (2) Legion of Merit w/ Combat "V" Purple Heart Medal (2) American Campaign Medal EAME Campaign Medal (3) World War II Victory Medal Armed Forces Reserve Medal British Order of the British Empire French Légion d'Honneur French Médaille militaire French Croix de Guerre (5) French Médaille des Évadés French Croix du Combattant French Médaille Coloniale French Médaille des Blesses Order of Ouissam Alaouite |
French conquest of Morocco
World War II
Pierre (Peter) Julien Ortiz OBE (July 5, 1913 – May 16, 1988) was a United States Marine Corps colonel who received two Navy Crosses for extraordinary heroism as a major in World War II. He served in both North Africa and Europe throughout the war, as a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), operating behind enemy lines several times. He became an American film actor after the war.
Although born in New York to a Spanish-American mother and French-American father, Ortiz was educated at the University of Grenoble in France. He spoke ten languages, including Spanish, French, German and Arabic.
On February 1, 1932, at the age of 19, he joined the French Foreign Legion for five years' service in North Africa. He was sent first to the Legion's training camp at Sidi Bel-Abbes, Algeria. He later served in Morocco, where he was promoted to corporal in 1933 and sergeant in 1935. He was awarded the Croix de guerre twice during a campaign against the Rif. He also received the Médaille militaire. An acting lieutenant, he was offered a commission as a second lieutenant if he would re-enlist. Instead, when his contract expired in 1937, he went to Hollywood to serve as a technical adviser for war films.
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Wikipedia