This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SPC Steven Ryan (LoneWolf)
to remember
Abrams, Creighton W., Jr. (26th Army Chief of Staff), GEN.
If you knew or served with this Soldier and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Home Town Springfield
Last Address Washington, DC
Date of Passing Sep 04, 1974
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. (Sep 15, 1914, Springfield, Massachusetts - Sep 4, 1974, Washington, D.C.) was a United States Army general who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968-72 which saw U.S. troop strength fall from 530,000 to 30,000.
He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1972 until shortly before his death in 1974. In honor of Abrams, the U.S. Army named the XM1 main battle tank after him as the M1 Abrams.
He graduated from West Point in 1936 and served with the 1st Cavalry Division from 1936 to 1940, being promoted to first lieutenant in 1939 and temporary captain in 1940.
He became an armored officer early in the development of that branch and served as a tank company commander in the 1st Armored Division in 1940.
During World War II, he served with the 4th Armored Division, initially as regimental adjutant (June 1941 - June 1942) then as a battalion commander (July 1942 - March 1943), and regiment executive officer (March 1943 - September 1943) with the US 37th Armor Regiment.
A reorganization of the division created a new battalion, the 37th Tank Battalion, which he commanded until March 1945 when he was promoted to command Combat Command B of the division. During this time he was promoted to the brevet ranks of Major (March 1943) and Lieutenant Colonel (September 1943).
During much of this time his unit was at the spearhead of the 4th Armored Division and the Third Army, and he was consequently well known as an aggressive armor commander. By using his qualities as a leader and by consistently exploiting the relatively small advantages of speed and reliability of his vehicles he managed to defeat German forces who had the advantage of superior armor, superior guns and better trained troops.
He was twice decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor, for actions on September 9, 1944 and December 26, 1944.
On April 23, 1945, Will Lang Jr. wrote a biography called "Colonel Abe" for Life (magazine).
Abrams was known as an aggressive and successful armor commander. General George Patton said of him, "I'm supposed to be the best tank commander in the Army, but I have one peer: Abe Abrams. He's the world champion."
His unit was frequently the spearhead of the Third Army during WWII. Abrams was one of the leaders in the relief effort which broke up the German entrenchments surrounding Bastogne and the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge.
He was noted for his concern for soldiers, his emphasis on combat readiness, and his insistence on personal integrity.
Following the war he served on the Army General Staff (1945 - 1946), as head of the department of tactics at the Armored School, Fort Knox (1946 - 1948), and graduated from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth (1949).
He was briefly promoted to (temporary) Colonel in 1945 but reverted to Lieutenant Colonel during WWII demobilization.
He commanded the 63d Tank Battalion, part of the 1st Infantry Division, in Europe (1949 - 1951). He was again promoted to Colonel and commanded the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment (1951-1952).
These units were important assignments due to the Cold War concern for potential invasion of western Europe by the Soviet Union. He then attended and graduated from the Army War College in 1953.
During his tenure in Germany he was on the cover of Time Magazine on October 13, 1961. He was to grace the covers again on April 19, 1968, and February 15, 1971.
Due to his service in Europe and his War College tour, he joined the Korean War late in the conflict. He successively served as chief of staff of the I, X, and IX Corps in Korea (1953-1954).
Upon return from Korea he served as Chief of Staff of the Armor Center, Fort Knox (1954-1956). He was promoted to Brigadier General and appointed Deputy Chief of Staff for Reserve Components at the Pentagon (1956-1959).
He was Assistant Division Commander of 3rd Armored Division (1959 - 60) and then commanded the division (1960 - 62) upon his promotion to Major General.
He was then transferred to the Pentagon as deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (1962 - 63), then was promoted to lieutenant-general and commanded V Corps in Europe (1963 - 1964).
He was promoted to General in 1964 and appointed Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (he was seriously considered as a candidate for Chief of Staff at that time).
Due to concerns about the conduct of the Vietnam War, he was appointed as deputy to General William Westmoreland, head of the Military Assistance Command in Vietnam, in May 1967. He succeeded Westmoreland as commander on June 10, 1968.
His tenure of command was not marked by the public optimism of his predecessors, who were prone to press conferences and public statements.
Following the election of President Richard Nixon he implemented the Nixon Doctrine referred to as Vietnamization. Vietnamization was designed to wind down U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and have South Vietnam responsible for executing the war.
Troop strength under Abrams decreased from 535,000 in December 1968 to 140,000 in December 1971 to 30,000 combat troops at the end of 1972. Abrams was in charge of the Cambodian Incursion in 1970. Although it occurred before he assumed total command, he bore the brunt of fallout from the My Lai massacre in March 1968.
He was appointed Chief of Staff of the United States Army in June 1972 but was not confirmed by the Senate until October 1972 due to political repercussions involving disobedience by one of his subordinate commanders. (It has also been reported that Congress held up the confirmation to question the administration's war in Cambodia.)
He served in this position until his death due to complications from lung cancer surgery in September 1974. During this time he began the transition to the all-volunteer Army.
He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1914. His father was a railway mechanic and farmer.
Abrams married Canadian Julia Abrams (1915 - 2003) in 1936. She founded the "Arlington Ladies" and devoted a great deal of her time to humanitarian causes. They had three daughters and three sons. The sons all became Army officers, and all of the daughters married Army officers.
Survivors include three sons, retired Army Brigadier General Creighton Williams Abrams III of Springfield, retired Army General John Nelson Abrams of Annandale and Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert Bruce Abrams of Texas; three daughters, Noel Bradley of Buffalo, Jeanne Daley of Annandale and Elizabeth Doyle of Nashville; two sisters; 19 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
He converted to Roman Catholicism while serving in Vietnam.
Abrams is buried with his wife in Section 21 of Arlington National Cemetery.
Attention! The dates you selected for being assigned to this Unit are outside the 1960 to 1992 we believe this Unit was in existence. Can you please re-check your dates and click HERE if you wish to amend these? If you believe your Unit was in existence during your selected dates, please let us know at admin@togetherweserved.com.
During the Cold War era, what was then the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment was responsible for surveillance of 731 kilometers along the Iron Curtain. Its section included 375 kilometers of the border separating West and East Germany, as well as the entire 356 kilometers of the West German-Czechoslovakian border. From a distance the border area appeared deceptively peaceful and scenic. Closer inspection however revealed the Iron Curtain's massive and deadly barrier system. Its series of metal mesh fences topped with barbed wire and equipped with sensitive warning devices, guard towers with interlocking fields of observation, and concrete walls similar to those found in Berlin were an imposing deterrent to those on both sides. Only a few legal crossing points existed and these were heavily guarded and fortified. The former East German and Czech border commands consisted of hand picked individuals who were considered politically reliable and were well-trained in marksmanship and surveillance skills. The low number of successful escapes from East Germany, normally about 25 a year in the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment sector, testified to the deadly efficiency of the barrier system. The Walt Disney feature film "Flight to Freedom" depicted a successful escape by a family from East Germany into the Regiment's border region. To conduct continuous border surveillance in sector, the Regiment operated 6 border camps in addition to the home garrisons of the squadrons. Camp Harris located in the town of Coberg, Kingsley Barracks in Hof, Camp Gates in Brand, Camp Pitman in Weiden, Camp Reed in Rosts, and Camp May in Regen. From the border camps, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment units patrolled their border sectors both by vehicle and on foot. Helicopters from the 4th Squadron assisted from the air. At each border camp, a reaction force was kept on standby around the clock and could clear the camp within minutes of the alert horn sounding. The Regiment also worked closely with the German border agencies, the BGS (Bundesgrenzshutz) and BBP (Bavarian Border Patrol), and the ZOLL (customs) Police, sharing intelligence information and conducting joint patrols. The mission of the Regiment demanded the constant vigilance and dedication of all the soldiers stationed along the wall. In November of 1989, the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment witnessed the opening of the Iron Curtain. With the fall of the communist bloc in Eastern Europe, regular border patrols were discontinued on 1 March 1990, ending the Cold War phase of the Regiment's history. On 8 November 1990, the Regiment was in the process of redefining its post-Cold War mission when it was alerted for deployment to Saudi Arabia. On 11 November 1990, what had been VII Corps' initial instructions to "move no earlier than 20 November" became "begin movement tomorrow." Leading the VII Corps deployment to Saudi Arabia, the Regiment occupied assembly areas deep in the Saudi desert by mid-December. There, intensive training and planning for the ground offensive took place for several months. The 210th Artillery Brigade, AH-64A Apache helicopters of the 2-1st Aviation, the 82nd Engineer Battalion, and other assets were added to form the 8,500 strong "Dragoon Battle Group." This battle group, which had worked together in Europe, continued to train and to provide security for the Corps through the commencement of hostilities. The Regiment, commanded by Colonel Leonard D. "Don" Holder, the 65th Colonel of the Regiment, was given the following mission: "At G-day, H-hour, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment attacks through the western flank of the enemy defenses and conducts offensive cover operations in order to develop the situation for VII Corps." On 23 February 1991, artillery fire prepped the area and the Regiment attacked, breaching the Iraqi-Saudi border berm and moving north into Iraq. It was the first time the Regiment had seen combat in over 45 years. For the next 72 hours the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment spearheaded the VII Corps' attack as it advanced into southern Iraq. On 26 February 1991, the Regiment fought a series of fierce engagements with elements of 4 Iraqi divisions, 3 of them armored or mechanized. Best known was the "Battle of 73 Easting" in which G, E, and I Troops destroyed an entire armored brigade. By the end of its covering force mission, the Regiment had broken the defensive line of the Republican Guard's Tawakalna Division and led 3 heavy divisions into the fight. During the 100-hour war, the Regiment moved over 250 kilometers, captured over 2000 prisoners, and destroyed 159 enemy tanks and 260 other fighting vehicles. Its actions against the Iraqi divisions have become textbook examples of modern tank warfare. The Battle Group had limited its casualties to 7 soldiers killed in action and 19 wounded. After the cease-fire, the Regiment moved into Kuwait, and then back into Iraq, occupying a position along the demarcation line south of the Euphrates River. From there, it monitored the border for compliance with the cease-fire and provided humanitarian aid to thousands of Iraqi refugees escaping the ravages of the conflict. The Regiment was relieved on the demarcation line on 7 April 1991, and returned to Saudi Arabia for redeployment to the Federal Republic of Germany. The Regiment earned 2 more tan colored streamers for the Regimental standard and the red with blue streamer of the Valorous Unit Award for actions in Southwest Asia. As part of the draw-down of forces in Europe after the Cold War, the Regiment relocated to Fort Lewis, Washington, in 1992. The unit was redesignated as the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Light) and tasked with developing a new organizational structure for a lethal, yet more rapidly deployable cavalry.
