US Army General. The son of former US Army Chief of Staff General Creighton Abrams Jr, he rose in rank to become the commander of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command from 1998 to 2002. Born John Nelson Abrams, he received his commission through Officer Candidate School in 1966, after enlisting as a tank crewman earlier that year. As a young armor officer, he served two years in Vietnam, rising from platoon leader to troop commander. In 1998, he was promoted to the rank of general and assigned as Commander, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), which oversees all training in the U.S. Army. He held this position until his retirement in 2002 with 36 years of continuous military service. His other commands have included the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Joint Task Force Kuwait, and 2nd Infantry Division, V Corps. His formal education included a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bowling Green University in Ohio, a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, and an honorary Doctor of Education degree from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. Among his military awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster), the Silver Star (with oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit (with two oak leaf clusters), the Bronze Star (with Valor Device and three oak leaf clusters), the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal (with numeral 2), the Army Commendation Medal (with oak leaf cluster), the Army Achievement Medal (with oak leaf cluster), and the National Defense Service Medal (with two bronze service stars). Following his military retirement, he became a military analyst for the Associated Press and was President and Chief Executive Officer of Abrams Learning & Information Systems, Inc., a consulting and technology firm. He died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center at the age of 71.