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Contact Info
Home Town Brooklyn, NY
Last Address Brooklyn, NY
Date of Passing Jun 19, 2005
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Courtesy of the Washington Post
Edmond P. Abood, 78, a retired Army Colonel who received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism in the Vietnam War and later did extensive contracting work for the Defense Department, died June 19, 2005, at a hospital in Boca Raton, Florida. He had cancer.
Colonel Abood joined the Army in 1944 and was a combat rifleman in Europe during World War II. Later, he was a combat infantry commander during the Korean War and an Army Rangers instructor.
In the early 1960s, he had a role in changing the 101st Airborne Division from a parachute infantry division to a helicopter-borne assault division. He served three combat tours in Vietnam, where he commanded three battalions of the 101st Airborne.
His Distinguished Service Cross, the highest award for bravery after the Medal of Honor, came for his heroism in action August 13, 1967, when he was commanding an airborne infantry battalion on a helicopter assault mission far into enemy territory.
He directed that the helicopters fly low, risking heavy ground fire to make direct strikes against enemy targets. Several helicopters were shot down, and his craft suffered hits. But he and his men landed at the designated place.
On the ground, he moved to avoid sniper fire while directing a team to extinguish a fire started by a smoke grenade in nearby elephant grass. He ignored enemy machine-gun fire and shrapnel to evacuate a soldier suffering from smoke inhalation and another overcome by heat exposure.
Through the night, he continued to repel enemy forces and direct a move to safer ground -- all the while exposing himself to enemy fire and rallying his men.
His other awards included four awards of the Legion of Merit, two awards of the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and eight awards of the Air Medal. In 1999, he was inducted into the Army Rangers Hall of Fame.
Edmond Peter Abood was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lebanese immigrants.
He was a 1950 graduate of Pennsylvania Military College, where he was co-captain of the football team.
He also boxed and played football for the Army after Korean War duty. He also was a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College.
His post-Vietnam service included an assignment to the NATO international staff. He represented the alliance in negotiations with the Warsaw Pact in Vienna to reduce conventional military forces.
His final active-duty assignment, in 1981, was with the Joint Chiefs of Staffs as chief of the European division. This portfolio included policy, plans and operations affecting U.S. troops in Europe.
In retirement, he was a contract employee working for the undersecretary of defense for policy from 1982 to 1998. He was responsible for developing policy and providing advice on operations in national reconnaissance, covert action and psychological operations. He also was responsible for Defense Department support of Radio and TV Marti, which transmit anti-Castro broadcasts to Cuba.
He was a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, an award rarely bestowed on contractors.
He was a Fairfax City resident and at his death was visiting his only immediate survivor, a sister, Lorraine Azrak of Boca Raton.
To All Who Shall See These Presents Greeting:
This is to Certify that
The President of the United States of America
Takes Pride in Presenting
THE
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS
to
EDMUND PETER ABOOD
Lieutenant Colonel (Infantry), U.S. Army
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
Date of Action: August 13, 1967
HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 4968 (September 28, 1967)
Citation:
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Edmund Peter Abood, Lieutenant Colonel (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Battalion, 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
Lieutenant Colonel Abood distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 13 August 1967 while serving as Commanding Officer of an airborne infantry battalion on an airmobile assault mission deep in hostile territory. During the assault, Colonel Abood flew low through heavy ground fire to mark the landing zone and direct air strikes on enemy positions.
Several helicopters were shot down and his craft received numerous hits, but he continued to brave intense Viet Cong machine gun fire until all elements had landed. Once on the ground, he moved through sniper fire to designate defensive positions to his men. A smoke grenade set the dry elephant grass in the area ablaze, but he exposed himself time after time to withering volleys to organize fire-fighting teams and stop the approaching flames. A short time later enemy tracers started a fire around his artillery position on an adjacent hill. Completely ignoring machine gun fire and flying shrapnel, he moved to the position to direct evacuation of his men. He single-handedly rescued a man overcome by the heat and carried him to safety.
Throughout the night he moved along the perimeter fully exposed to enemy fire to direct his men in repelling repeated hostile probes. Mortar rounds and rifle fire struck all around him, but he remained in the open encouraging his men. In the morning he directed infiltration operations of his men to a more secure area. Throughout the evacuation he constantly remained exposed to persistent sniper fire all around him. His courageous actions and leadership prevented loss of men or equipment to the insurgents. Lieutenant Colonel Abood's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Other Comments:
COLONEL EDMOND ABOOD
Colonel Edmond Abood is inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame for military and civilian service to the Nation, spanning 37 years. His extraordinary career, which included service during World War II, Vietnam, the Cold War, and numerous other periods of world crisis and international tension garnered respect from both military and civilian authorities at the highest levels within the United States Government. His service and heroic actions were recognized with numerous awards including the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (3OLC), Bronze Star Medal with �??V�?? (2OLC), and Purple Heart. He was the epitome of a Ranger while assigned to the Ranger Department at Fort Benning, Georgia.
His outstanding abilities as a Ranger instructor were recognized throughout the community. He went on to solidify this reputation as a Ranger while in command of an airborne infantry battalion in Vietnam. The outcome of his heroic actions in August of 1967 resulted in the saving of numerous lives and successful accomplishment of the mission. He was ultimately awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his valorous actions. He continued to serve his nation after retiring from the Army by serving as an advisor within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. His insight and wisdom while developing policies or procedures for matters involving National Security were unparalleled. Colonel Abood is the classic example of a United States Army Ranger.
RANGER LEAD THE WAY!!!
WWII - European-African-Middle Eastern Theater
From Month/Year
December / 1941
To Month/Year
September / 1945
Description The European-Mediterranean-Middle East Theater was a major theater of operations during the Second World War (between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946). The vast size of Europe, Mediterranean and Middle East theatre saw interconnected naval, land, and air campaigns fought for control of the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The fighting in this theatre lasted from 10 June 1940, when Italy entered the war on the side of Germany, until 2 May 1945 when all Axis forces in Italy surrendered. However, fighting would continue in Greece – where British troops had been dispatched to aid the Greek government – during the early stages of the Greek Civil War.
The British referred to this theatre as the Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre (so called due to the location of the fighting and the name of the headquarters that controlled the initial fighting: Middle East Command) while the Americans called the theatre of operations the Mediterranean Theatre of War. The German official history of the fighting is dubbed 'The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1942'. Regardless of the size of the theatre, the various campaigns were not seen as neatly separated areas of operations but part of one vast theatre of war.
Fascist Italy aimed to carve out a new Roman Empire, while British forces aimed initially to retain the status quo. Italy launched various attacks around the Mediterranean, which were largely unsuccessful. With the introduction of German forces, Yugoslavia and Greece were overrun. Allied and Axis forces engaged in back and forth fighting across North Africa, with Axis interference in the Middle East causing fighting to spread there. With confidence high from early gains, German forces planned elaborate attacks to be launched to capture the Middle East and then to possibly attack the southern border of the Soviet Union. However, following three years of fighting, Axis forces were defeated in North Africa and their interference in the Middle East was halted. Allied forces then commenced an invasion of Southern Europe, resulting in the Italians switching sides and deposing Mussolini. A prolonged battle for Italy took place, and as the strategic situation changed in southeast Europe, British troops returned to Greece.
The theatre of war, the longest during the Second World War, resulted in the destruction of the Italian Empire and altered the strategic position of Germany resulting in numerous German divisions being deployed to Africa and Italy and total losses (including those captured upon final surrender) being over half a million. Italian losses, in the theatre, amount to around to 177,000 men with a further several hundred thousand captured during the process of the various campaigns. British losses amount to over 300,000 men killed, wounded, or captured, and total American losses in the region amounted to 130,000.
