Abrams, Creighton Williams

Abrams, Creighton Williams (ā`brəmz), 1914–74, U.S. military officer, b. Springfield, Mass. After graduating (1936) from West Point, he served with distinction during World War II, most notably as commander of the 37th Tank Battalion, which relieved Allied forces trapped at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. After service in Korea (1953–54) and in West Germany (1960–62) during the Berlin crisis, he became (1964) vice chief of staff of the U.S. army and was promoted (1964) to the rank of general. Abrams was appointed (1967) deputy commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam under Gen. William Westmoreland and later served (1968–72) as commanding general. From 1972 until his death he was U.S. army chief of staff.