John N. Abrams

John N. Abrams
John N. Abrams
	Official portrait, 1998
Born	3 September 1946; Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States
Died	20 August 2018 (aged 71); Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Washington, D.C., United States
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1966–2002
Rank	General
Commands	Training and Doctrine Command; V Corps; 2nd Infantry Division; Joint Task Force Kuwait; 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
Battles / wars	Vietnam War; Gulf War; Operation Joint Endeavor
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal (2); Silver Star (2); Legion of Merit (3); Bronze Star Medal (4); Purple Heart
Spouse(s)	Cecilia Bosico (m. 1969)
Relations	General Creighton Abrams (father); Brigadier General Creighton W. Abrams III (brother); General Robert B. Abrams (brother)
Other work	Military analyst, Associated Press

General John Nelson Abrams (3 September 1946 – 20 August 2018) was a United States Army four-star general who commanded the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command from 1998 to 2002.

Early life and career

Abrams was born at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on 3 September 1946, the son of General Creighton Abrams and Julia (Harvey) Abrams.^[1]^[2]^[3] He graduated from Frankfurt American High School in 1964, and attended Bowling Green University before deciding to enlist in the United States Army.

Abrams enlisted in the United States Army on 16 January 1966, and after completion of his initial training, he attended Officer Candidate School.^[4] He graduated on 3 February 1967, with a commission as a second lieutenant of Armor.^[5] Abrams was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood during its training prior to deploying to Vietnam.^[5] His Vietnam War combat assignments with the squadron from 1967 to 1969 included platoon leader for B Troop, executive officer for A Troop, commander of A Troop, commander of C Troop, and commander of the squadron's Provisional Rifle Company.^[5]

Education

Abrams received his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Bowling Green University in 1972.^[5] He received a Master of Science degree in public administration from Shippensburg University in 1986 as part of his completion of the Army War College.^[5] In 2002, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Military Education and Training from Norwich University.^[6]

Continued career

Abrams' post-Vietnam assignments included instructor in military science at the United States Military Academy beginning in 1972.^[7] In 1976, he graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. He commanded 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment from 1983 to 1985.^[7] Abrams graduated from the United States Army War College in 1986, and then served as assistant chief staff for plans and operations G-3 for the 3rd Armored Division, followed by promotion to colonel and assignment as division chief staff from 1986 to 1988.^[7] From 1988 to 1990, Abrams commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.^[7] From 1990 to 1991 he was deputy director for operations, readiness and modernization in the Army's Office of the Deputy Chief Staff for Operations and Plans.^[7]

General officer

After promotion to brigadier general, Abrams served as assistant division commander for the 1st Cavalry Division from 1991 to 1993. From 1993 to 1995, he was commander of the 2nd Infantry Division as a major general.^[7] Abrams was promoted to lieutenant general in 1995 and assigned as commander of V Corps, which included participation in Operation Joint Endeavor.^[4]

He was deputy commander of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command from 1997 to 1998, and received promotion to general and assignment as TRADOC's commander in 1998.^[7] He served until retiring in 2002.^[7]

Awards and decorations

Abrams' awards and decorations included:^[5]^[7]

	Army Staff Identification Badge
	11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia^[4]

	Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
	Silver Star with oak leaf cluster
	Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
	Bronze Star with Valor Device and three oak leaf clusters
	Purple Heart
	Meritorious Service Medal
	Air Medal with award numeral 2
	Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
	Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
	National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars
	Vietnam Service Medal with one silver and one bronze service star
	Southwest Asia Service Medal with 1 bronze service star
	Armed Forces Service Medal
	Army Service Ribbon
	Overseas Service Ribbon with Award numeral 5
	NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia
	Vietnam Gallantry Cross with silver star and two bronze stars
	Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Knight Commander's Cross^[7]
	Gallantry Cross Unit Citation Ribbon
	Civil Actions Unit Citation Ribbon
	Vietnam Campaign Medal
	Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Post military

After retiring, Abrams became a military analyst for the Associated Press.^[4] He was the president and chief executive officer of John Abrams Learning & Information Systems, Inc., a consulting and technology firm.^[6]

Abrams died at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on 20 August 2018.^[5] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.^[5]

Family

Abrams was the son of Julia Berthe Harvey (1915–2003) and General Creighton W. Abrams Jr.^[5] His brothers Creighton III and Robert were also army general officers.^[5]

He married Cecilia Bosico in 1969.^[8] They were the parents of two daughters, Noël, the wife of Nathan Naylor, and Elizabeth, the wife of Chris Bauernshub.^[5]

Images gallery

Abrams as a brigadier general in 1990 while serving in the Army's Office of the Deputy Chief Staff for Operations and Plans
Colonel Jeffrey Hage of the United States National Intelligence Center (USNIC) in Bosnia escorts Abrams through the center during Operation Joint Endeavor in 1996

References

^ "Kentucky Birth Index, 1911–1999, Entry for John N. Abrams". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. Archived from the original on 27 November 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
^ "Obituary, Julia H. Abrams". Legacy.com. Evanston, IL: Legacy.com, Inc. 8 February 2003. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
^ "New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820–1957, USNS General Maurice Rose". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. 14 July 1952. Archived from the original on 27 November 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "AP Signs Four-Star General for Military Expertise". Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "Obituary, John N. Abrams". Dignitymemorial.com. Houston, TX: SCI Shared Resources, LLC. 20 August 2018. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
^ ^a ^b ALIS Inc. Management Team Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Skelton, Ike (14 November 2002). "Tribute to General John N. Abrams". Congress.gov. Washington, DC: US House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
^ Sorley, Lewis (1992). Thunderbolt – From the Battle of the Bulge to Vietnam and Beyond: General Creighton Abrams and the Army of His Times. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 294–295.

Military offices
Preceded by William W. Hartzog	Commander, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command 1998—2002	Succeeded by Kevin P. Byrnes

[1] "Kentucky Birth Index, 1911–1999, Entry for John N. Abrams". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. Archived from the original on 27 November 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2020.

[2] "Obituary, Julia H. Abrams". Legacy.com. Evanston, IL: Legacy.com, Inc. 8 February 2003. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2020.

[3] "New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820–1957, USNS General Maurice Rose". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com LLC. 14 July 1952. Archived from the original on 27 November 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2020.

[AP-4] "AP Signs Four-Star General for Military Expertise". Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2007.

[Dignity-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "Obituary, John N. Abrams". Dignitymemorial.com. Houston, TX: SCI Shared Resources, LLC. 20 August 2018. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.

[ALIS-6] ALIS Inc. Management Team Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine

[Skelton-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Skelton, Ike (14 November 2002). "Tribute to General John N. Abrams". Congress.gov. Washington, DC: US House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.

[sorley-8] Sorley, Lewis (1992). Thunderbolt – From the Battle of the Bulge to Vietnam and Beyond: General Creighton Abrams and the Army of His Times. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 294–295.

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