John N . Abrams General John Nelson Abrams ( born September 3 , 1946 ) is a retired United States Army General who commanded the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command from 1998 to 2002 . He is the son of former Army Chief of Staff , General Creighton Abrams . Military career . Abrams was born on September 3 , 1946 in Cumberland , Maine . He received his commission through Officer Candidate School in 1966 , after enlisting as a tank crewman in 1966 . His commands have included the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment , Joint Task Force Kuwait , 2nd Infantry Division , V Corps . , and US Army Training and Doctrine Command . As a young armor officer , Abrams served two years in Vietnam , rising from platoon leader to troop commander . Toward the end of his tour , Abrams commanded an armored cavalry troop in the Mang Yang Pass , where he established such good relations with the Montagnard villagers that a local village chief gave him an elephant . " Isn ' t that great , Dad ? " he asked his father Creighton , who at the time was commander of all U . S . forces in Vietnam . " Well , let me tell you , I knew he was in trouble , " Creighton Abrams recounted later . " I asked him if he knew what it meant for a Montagnard village chief to give someone an elephant , and of course he just thought it was a nice thing for the guy to do . Well , sir , I told him in no uncertain terms , ' John , you better pack up and leave that area quick , ' cause you are now engaged to be married to a Montagnard woman . That elephant is a wedding gift ! ' " John Abrams married Cecilia Bosico in 1969 , after a courtship that did not involve an elephant . In his tour as Commander of the Second Infantry Division he was promoted to Major General and stationed at Camp Red Cloud , near Uijeongbu , Republic of Korea near the Olympic Velodrome . During Operation Desert Storm he could view the combat area by live satellite imaging and see his brother ' s unit , Gen Creighton Abrams , III , who was the Artillery Commander for Desert Storm . Major General Abrams was active in community affairs and worked with the Amerasian Children ' s Fund , The Pearl Buck Association and the American Red Cross . He redesigned the 2ID logo to depict a " handsome Indian " and placed this design on another of his creations , the 2nd ID sports jacket . He also designed and produced a 2nd ID sports cap . He was instrumental in improving morale to this combat unit and community support from the Korean civilians . The original drawings , art work , and first production runs were kept by Col . G F ( Coach ) Sweetman , who was responsible for their production . After completing his tour in Korea , he was promoted to Lieutenant General and assigned as commander of " V Corps " in Germany , also called 5th Corps and Victory Corps . He was the second officer in U . S . Army history to command the same unit as his father , a unit also commanded by Lt . Gen Colin Powell . ( LTG Creighton Abrams 15 July 1963 to 3 August 1964 ; LTG Colin Powell 23 June 1986 to 1 January 1987 ; LTG John N . Abrams 6 April 1995 to 31 July 1997 . ) He also continued an Army tradition of taking key staff members with him , including Command Sergeant Major John Beck . Abrams received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bowling Green University , a Master of Science in Public Administration from Shippensburg University , and an honorary Doctor of Education degree from Norwich University . His awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Silver Star with oak leaf cluster , Legion of Merit with 2 oak leaf clusters , Bronze Star with " V " device and 3 oak leaf clusters , Air Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters and the Purple Heart . Post military . After retiring , Abrams became a military analyst for the Associated Press . He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Abrams Learning & Information Systems , Inc . , a consulting and technology firm . See also . The first father - son U . S . Army Generals to command the same unit were George S . Patton III and George S . Patton IV , commanding the 2nd Armored Division . Another Link between Patton and Abrams families was that Creighton , John ' s father , was Patton ' s spearhead commander in World War II , where Patton praised him as being the only tank commander equal to himself .