1. John Philip Abizaid was born on 1 April 1951 and is a retired United States Army general and former United States Central Command commander who served as the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2021.
25 Facts About John Abizaid
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John Abizaid assumed the Distinguished Chair of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point in December 2007.
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John Abizaid was appointed to the board of directors of RPM International on 24 January 2008, and sits on the board of directors of the Defense Ventures Group.
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John Abizaid was confirmed by the United States Senate as ambassador on 10 April 2019, and sworn in on 30 April 2019.
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John Abizaid formally presented his credentials to King Salman on 16 June 2019.
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John Abizaid now serves as senior advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group.
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John Abizaid was born in Redwood City, California, to a family of Lebanese Maronite Catholics; his grandparents had immigrated from Lebanon in the 19th century.
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John Abizaid was raised in Coleville, California, where he graduated from high school in 1969.
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John Abizaid was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry upon graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, Class of June 1973.
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John Abizaid started his career with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he served as a rifle and scout platoon leader.
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John Abizaid commanded companies in the 2nd and 1st Ranger Battalions, leading a Ranger Rifle Company during the invasion of Grenada.
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John Abizaid commanded the 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Regiment combat Team in Vicenza, Italy, during the Persian Gulf War and deployed with the battalion in Northern Iraq to provide a safe haven for the Kurds.
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John Abizaid served as the Assistant Division Commander, 1st Armored Division, in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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John Abizaid served as the Deputy Commander, Combined Forces Command, US Central Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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John Abizaid served as Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of Strategic Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff and Director of the Joint Staff.
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John Abizaid was under consideration to become the chief of staff of the Army in 2003, but declined the appointment.
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John Abizaid had planned to retire earlier, but stayed at the urging of Donald Rumsfeld.
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On 16 March 2007, Abizaid transferred command to Admiral William J Fallon, after serving longer as commander of US Central Command than any of his predecessors.
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On 8 September 2016, John Abizaid was appointed advisor to Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.
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John Abizaid was confirmed by the United States Senate as ambassador on 10 April 2019, and sworn in on 30 April 2019.
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John Abizaid formally presented his credentials to King Salman on 16 June 2019.
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John Abizaid is married and has three children, including Christine John Abizaid.
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In November 2005, John Abizaid gave a speech on the Global War on Terrorism at the Naval War College.
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In State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III, Bob Woodward of The Washington Post wrote that on 16 March 2006, John Abizaid was in Washington to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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Wallace asked Woodward to confirm that Murtha had told him of this tale of meeting with John Abizaid; Woodward nodded his head in assent and said yes.