George S. Patton
Patton was a complex man with many interests. First attending the Virginia Military Academy, he ultimately graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1909. He was a fencer and designed a saber called the Patton Saber. He competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Sweden in the pentathlon and loved to play polo. Some historians believe some of his later erratic behavior might have stemmed from the many head injuries he sustained. His first combat experience came when he was on the staff of General John Pershing in the Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916 – the first military action that used motor vehicles. He was a part of the new United States Tank Force in the American Expeditionary forces during World War I. He commanded the U.S. Tank school in France. He led tanks into battle near the end of the war and was wounded then. He became one of the central figures in the development of Army doctrine for armored warfare between the two World Wars. In WWII, he commanded troops in Operation Torch in Africa and other campaigns in the Mediterranean theater. In 1944, he led Third Army rapidly through France and playing a large part in the Battle of the Bulge. Third Army had occupation duty after WWII was over and Patton was the military governor of Bavaria until his death in a tragic traffic accident in 1945.
Creighton Abrams
After graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1936, Abrams became one of the early officers in the new tank branch commanding a tank company. During WWII, he commanded the newly redesignated 37th Tank Battalion and Combat Command B, becoming the spearhead of Patton’s Third Army in the Battle of the Bulge. Patton said of him, “I’m supposed to be the best tank commander in the Army, but I have one peer—Abe Abrams. He’s the world champion.” Abrams served in Korea before becoming the Chief of Staff of the Tank School at Ft. Knox. In 1968, he became the commander of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) until June 1972 when he was appointed the Army Chief of Staff. He oversaw the transition to the all-volunteer Army (Project VOLAR) as Chief of Staff. In January 1974, he directed the formation of a Ranger Battalion. His vision gave direction to the Rangers: “The battalion is to be an elite, light, and the most proficient infantry in the world. A battalion that can do things with its hands and weapons better than anyone. The battalion will contain no ‘hoodlums or brigands’ and if the battalion is formed from such persons, it will be disbanded. Wherever the battalion goes, it must be apparent that it is the best.”
** He and his wife, Julia Berthe Abrams, reared six children; their three sons all became Army General Officers, two serving in the Armor branch, John Abrams and Robert Abrams and Creighton Jr. was a Field Artilleryman. Being a caring Army wife, she founded the Army Arlington Ladies in 1973 so that no soldier would be buried alone in Arlington National Cemetery. She was honorary first lady of the United States Armor Association and volunteered with a foundation that built schools in Thailand where she had lived with their two youngest children as a waiting wife during the Vietnam War.
Donn Starry
The son of one of the first soldiers in the Tank corps, Starry was a sort of mascot for his father’s unit and at the age of four was made a brevet First Lieutenant in the Kansas National Guard by KS Governor Clyde Reed. Starry’s intent after graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1948 was to branch Army Air Corps. When that didn’t materialize, he became an Armor officer. He served first in Germany under LTC Creighton Abrams, Sr. and then in Korea. He commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. He was wounded by a North Vietnamese grenade in 1970. He was the commander of the United States Army Armor Center and School in 1974. As the commander of TRADOC, Starry formulated AirLandBattle doctrine which prepared the Army for warfighting into the future. He was a prolific communicator writing and speaking on subjects such as strategy, logistics, leadership, training and development of noncommissioned officers as well as values in a two-volume series titled, Press On!