No sooner had septuagenarian Talal Theib Twal left the hall where His Majesty King Abdullah honored him and 1,370 other National Guard veterans than he called his wife to tell her the good news.

He sounded so thrilled telling his wife that the King granted him JD5,000.

The King also issued directives to cover the ex-servicemen and their children under 18 with full, free-of-charge medical insurance. His Majesty also listened to their demands and promised they would be considered.

"I had no idea what the meeting would be about when I was contacted by the Royal Court," Twal, who joined the military in 1961, said.

“I was already overwhelmed with joy because of the meeting with the King, but the Royal gesture was a very pleasant surprise.”

Another veteran, Yousef Edeilat, 78, could not remember the year he had joined the National Guard but he was grateful that his generation, who served the country in the dark times, is remembered and honored.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff General Khaled Sarayreh said the King's honoring of National Guard veterans is part of a series of initiatives aimed at improving the living standards of the retired men in uniform.

JAF will form a committee to work out the mechanism of implementing the Royal gesture.

The Jordan Times