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'''Creighton Williams Abrams Jr.''' (September 15, 1914 – September 4, 1974) was a [[United States Army]] [[General (United States)|general]] who commanded military operations in the [[Vietnam War]] from 1968 to 1972
In 1980, the United States Army named its then new [[main battle tank]], the [[M1 Abrams]], after him. The [[IG Farben building]] in Germany was also named after Abrams from 1975 to 1995.
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==Military career==
===Early career===
Abrams graduated from the [[United States Military Academy]] at West Point in the Class of 1936,
Abrams became an armor officer early in the development of that branch and served as a tank company commander in the [[1st Armored Division (United States)|1st Armored Division]] in 1940.
===World War II===
During [[World War II]], Abrams served in the [[4th Armored Division (United States)|4th Armored Division]], initially as regimental [[adjutant]] (June 1941 – June 1942), [[battalion]] commander (July 1942 – March 1943), and [[regiment]] executive officer (March–September 1943) with the [[37th Armor Regiment]]. In September 1943, a reorganization of the division redesignated the 37th Armor Regiment to the 37th Tank Battalion, which Abrams commanded
During this time Abrams was promoted to the temporary ranks of [[Major (United States)|major]] (February 1942), [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]] (September 1942), and [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] (April 1945). Abrams was promoted to lieutenant colonel eleven days before his 28th birthday.
During much of this time, the 4th Armored Division,
Frequently the spearhead of the Third Army during World War II, Abrams was one of the leaders in the relief effort that broke up the [[Wehrmacht|German]] entrenchments surrounding [[Bastogne]] and the [[101st Airborne Division]] during the Battle of the Bulge. In April 1945, he was promoted to ===Interbellum and Korean War===
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===Staff assignments and division command===
Upon Abrams' return from Korea, he served as Chief of Staff of the Armor Center, [[Fort Knox]] (1954–1956). He was promoted to [[brigadier general (United States)|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 (United States)|3rd Armored Division]] (1959–1960) and then commanded the division (1960–1962) upon his promotion to major general. He was transferred to the Pentagon as deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (1962–1963) and during this time he served as representative of the Army Chief of Staff overseeing the armed forces deployed to support the enrollment of [[James Meredith]] at the [[Racial segregation|segregated]] [[University of Mississippi]].<ref name=Scheips>{{cite book|last=Scheips|first=Paul|title=The Role of Federal Military Forces in Domestic Disorders, 1945–1992|publisher=US Army Center of Military History|year=2005|isbn=9781517253783|url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/030/30-20/CMH_Pub_30-20.pdf}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|88–92}}
He performed a similar role in May 1963 during the [[Birmingham campaign|civil rights protests]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]].<ref name=Scheips/>{{rp|139–41}} Following these roles Abrams demanded a more coherent policy for the swift employment of Federal forces domestically. He was promoted to [[lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]] and commanded [[V Corps (United States)|V Corps]] in Europe (1963–1964).
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===Vietnam War===
[[File:CWAbrams.jpg|thumb|Abrams watches [[Bob Hope]] at [[Long Binh Post|Long Binh]] in [[South Vietnam]]]]
Abrams was promoted to [[General (United States)|general]] in 1964 and appointed [[Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army]]
Abrams succeeded Westmoreland as [[COMUSMACV]] on June 10, 1968
It has been asserted by authors such as [[Lewis Sorley]] that in contrast to Westmoreland, Abrams implemented counterinsurgency tactics that focused on winning the [[Hearts and Minds (Vietnam)|hearts and minds]] of the Vietnamese rural population. A joint military-civilian organization named [[Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support]] under CIA official [[William Colby]] carried out the hearts and minds programs. According to a colonel cited in ''[[Men's Journal]]'', there was more continuity than change in Vietnam after Abrams succeeded Westmoreland.{{efn|group=lower-alpha|'That claim touches a nerve when put to [[Gian Gentile]]. "We don't know how Iraq is going to turn out", he snaps. With that, the colonel returns to his binders. They hold reams of cable communiqués from Vietnam war commander General William Westmoreland and his successor, General Creighton Abrams. Westmoreland embodied the traditional approach: a hard-charging, hammer-swinging leader who used search-and-destroy tactics that focused on the enemy. Abrams favored counterinsurgency methods, and focused on winning the hearts and minds of the population. Gentile has stated "People think we were losing in Vietnam, and oh, a better general with better tactics came in and saved the day," he says, waving his arms for emphasis. "Nonsense." That's what led Gentile to dig through antique war correspondence from two dead generals. "There was more continuity than change in Vietnam after Abrams arrived," he says — people have it backward. And in a way he's right: Westmoreland once declared that the jungles of Vietnam were "no place for either tank or mechanized infantry units." And Abrams — well, the Army named a tank after the guy." Abrams, Gentile feels, showed up just in time to snatch the scraps of glory.'- quoted from Matthew Teague in Men's Journal<ref>{{cite web|title=Is This Any Way to Fight a War?|url=http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/print-view/is-this-any-way-to-fight-a-war-20131108|website=[[Men's Journal]]|last=Teague|first=Matthew|date=December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311025404/http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/print-view/is-this-any-way-to-fight-a-war-20131108|archive-date=March 11, 2014}}</ref>}}
''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine at the time of Abrams' appointment observed that its sources within the [[Lyndon Johnson]] administration had spoken at length with Abrams in the past, and had come away convinced that the general would make few changes. The magazine quoted an unidentified military analyst to the effect that, "All this talk of dropping search-and destroy operations in favor of clear-and-hold is just a lot of bull."<ref>{{cite book|last=Hammond|first=William|title=The U.S. Army in Vietnam Public Affairs The Military and the Media, 1968–1973|publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History|year=1996|url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/091/91-2/CMH_Pub_91-2-B.pdf|isbn=978-1946411037|page=24}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> None of the strategy papers produced by Abrams on assuming command of MACV indicated the need for any change in U.S. strategy and U.S. forces continued large-scale operations to engage [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN) main force units including the [[Battle of Hamburger Hill]] in May 1969.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Daddis|first=Gregory|title=Withdrawal: Reassessing America's Final Years in Vietnam|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=2017|isbn=978-0190691103}}</ref>
▲Abrams succeeded Westmoreland as [[COMUSMACV]] on June 10, 1968, although his tenure of command was not marked by the public optimism of his predecessors, who were prone to press conferences and public statements.
From 1969, the Vietnam War increasingly became a conventional war between the military forces of South Vietnam and North Vietnam. Following the election of President [[Richard Nixon]], Abrams began implementing the Nixon Administration's [[Vietnamization]] policy to decrease U.S. involvement in Vietnam. With this new goal, Abrams decreased American troop strength from a peak of 543,000 in early 1969 to 49,000 in June 1972.
▲It has been asserted by authors such as [[Lewis Sorley]] that in contrast to Westmoreland, Abrams implemented counterinsurgency tactics that focused on winning the [[Hearts and Minds (Vietnam)|hearts and minds]] of the Vietnamese rural population. A joint military-civilian organization named [[Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support]] under CIA official [[William Colby]] carried out the hearts and minds programs. According to a colonel cited in ''[[Men's Journal]]'', there was more continuity than change in Vietnam after Abrams succeeded Westmoreland.{{efn|group=lower-alpha|'That claim touches a nerve when put to [[Gian Gentile]]. "We don't know how Iraq is going to turn out", he snaps. With that, the colonel returns to his binders. They hold reams of cable communiqués from Vietnam war commander General William Westmoreland and his successor, General Creighton Abrams. Westmoreland embodied the traditional approach: a hard-charging, hammer-swinging leader who used search-and-destroy tactics that focused on the enemy. Abrams favored counterinsurgency methods, and focused on winning the hearts and minds of the population. Gentile has stated "People think we were losing in Vietnam, and oh, a better general with better tactics came in and saved the day," he says, waving his arms for emphasis. "Nonsense." That's what led Gentile to dig through antique war correspondence from two dead generals. "There was more continuity than change in Vietnam after Abrams arrived," he says — people have it backward. And in a way he's right: Westmoreland once declared that the jungles of Vietnam were "no place for either tank or mechanized infantry units." And Abrams — well, the Army named a tank after the guy." Abrams, Gentile feels, showed up just in time to snatch the scraps of glory.'- quoted from Matthew Teague in Men's Journal<ref>{{cite web|title=Is This Any Way to Fight a War?|url=http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/print-view/is-this-any-way-to-fight-a-war-20131108|website=[[Men's Journal]]|last=Teague|first=Matthew|date=December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311025404/http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/print-view/is-this-any-way-to-fight-a-war-20131108|archive-date=March 11, 2014}}</ref>}} ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine at the time of Abrams' appointment observed that its sources within the [[Lyndon Johnson]] administration had spoken at length with Abrams in the past and had come away convinced that the general would make few changes. The magazine quoted an unidentified military analyst to the effect that, "All this talk of dropping search-and destroy operations in favor of clear-and-hold is just a lot of bull."<ref>{{cite book|last=Hammond|first=William|title=The U.S. Army in Vietnam Public Affairs The Military and the Media, 1968–1973|publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History|year=1996|url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/091/91-2/CMH_Pub_91-2-B.pdf|isbn=978-1946411037|page=24}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> Indeed none of the strategy papers produced by Abrams on assuming command of MACV indicated the need for any change in U.S. strategy and U.S. forces continued large-scale operations to engage [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN) main force units including the [[Battle of Hamburger Hill]] in May 1969.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Daddis|first=Gregory|title=Withdrawal: Reassessing America's Final Years in Vietnam|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=2017|isbn=978-0190691103}}</ref>
Abrams was
Nixon grew increasingly dissatisfied with Abrams' performance during [[Operation Lam Son 719]] and had debated for some time whether to recall Abrams. On May 4, 1972 Nixon resolved to replace Abrams with his former deputy General [[Frederick Weyand]], but the decision was not publicly announced until 20 June 1972.<ref name=Hammond>{{cite book|last=Hammond|first=William|title=The U.S. Army in Vietnam Public Affairs The Military and the Media 1968–1973|publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History|year=1996|url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/091/91-2/index.html|isbn=978-0160486968}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|568}}
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===Chief of Staff===
[[File:Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird, second from the left, administers the oath of office to General Creighton W. Abrams, the new U.S. Army chief of staff. Secretary of the Army Ro - DPLA - b673b513173121f89bf2016590e97b16.jpeg|thumb|right|Abrams is sworn in as Army Chief of Staff, 16 October 1972]]
Abrams was appointed [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army]] by Nixon in June 1972.<ref name=atjgtab>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YO9LAAAAIBAJ&pg=6864%2C1902645 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Army's top job goes to Abrams |date=June 21, 1972 |page=1}}</ref>
In January 1974, Abrams directed the formation of a Ranger battalion. The 1st Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry, was activated and parachuted into Fort Stewart, Georgia, on July 1; the 2nd Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry followed with activation on October 1. The 3rd Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger), and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 75th Infantry (Ranger), received their colors a decade later on October 3, 1984, at Fort Benning, Georgia. The 75th Ranger Regiment was designated in February 1986.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mil/ranger/heritage.html|title=Heritage – United States Army Rangers|work=[[United States Army]]|access-date=12 May 2016}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> The modern Ranger battalions owe their existence to Abrams and his charter:
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The Abramses had three sons and three daughters. All three sons became Army general officers: retired Brigadier General Creighton Williams Abrams III, General [[John N. Abrams|John Nelson Abrams]], and General [[Robert B. Abrams|Robert Bruce Abrams]]. Daughters Noel Bradley, Jeanne Daley, and Elizabeth Doyle all married army officers.
Abrams converted to [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] during his time in Vietnam
A heavy cigar smoker, Abrams died at age 59, eleven days before his 60th birthday at [[Walter Reed Army Medical Center]] in Washington, D.C., from complications of surgery to remove a cancerous lung.<ref name=gabda59/> He is buried with his wife Julia in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref>[https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgZhYnJhbXMSCWNyZWlnaHRvbg--/ Burial Detail: Abrams, Creighton W (Site 21, Grave S-33)] – ANC Explorer</ref>
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