Honours
Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 for coordinating New York City's international response after September 11.
Correct style
The appointment is honorary. The correct full style is Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), because Bradford E. Billet is an American citizen rather than a British subject. Honorary appointees carry the post-nominal letters but are not addressed as Sir.
What the Order of the British Empire is
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was founded in 1917 by King George V to recognize contributions outside the armed forces — civil service, the arts, science, industry, and public and charitable work. It is the most broadly conferred of the British orders of chivalry, and the one most often used to recognize service rendered to the United Kingdom by people who are not part of its government.
What the grade of Officer signifies
The Order has five grades. In descending order: Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE or DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). The grade of Officer recognizes a distinguished contribution of national or international significance — typically sustained work whose effect reaches well beyond the recipient's own institution.
What this appointment recognized
Sixty-seven British subjects were killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001 — the largest loss of British life in a single day since the Second World War. As a senior official in the New York City Mayor's Office for International Affairs, Bradford E. Billet was the City's channel to the British Government and the British Consulate-General in New York throughout the response: casualty identification, consular access, the repatriation of remains, arrangements for arriving families, and the protocol surrounding memorial observances. The citation also recognized his frontline coordination of the evacuation, the City's official missing-persons operation, and the Family Assistance Center.
The full account of that work is on the September 11 page, and its civic sequel — stewardship of the memorial garden to those sixty-seven — is on the philanthropy page.
Form of address and post-nominal usage
First reference: Bradford E. Billet, OBE, CEM. Subsequent references: Mr. Billet. In formal contexts where the honour is stated in full, use Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The post-nominal OBE follows the name and precedes professional credentials such as CEM. Do not use Sir; that style belongs to the two knightly grades and, in any case, is not conferred honorarily.
Frequently asked
Questions and answers
- What does OBE stand for?
- OBE stands for Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, the fourth grade of the Order, below Knight or Dame Commander (KBE/DBE) and Commander (CBE), and above Member (MBE).
- Can an American receive an OBE?
- Yes, in honorary form. Citizens of countries where the King is not head of state may be appointed to the Order honorarily. Honorary appointees do not use the title Sir or Dame, but they do use the post-nominal letters. Bradford E. Billet is an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
- What was Bradford Billet's OBE awarded for?
- He was appointed Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 for coordinating New York City's international response after September 11, including his frontline coordination of the evacuation, the City's official missing-persons operation, the Family Assistance Center, and the international response to the families of British and other foreign nationals killed that day.