BGen Jerry C. McAbee, U.S. Marine Corps

Jerry McAbee graduated from Jacksonville State University in Alabama in 1970, where he was commissioned into the Marine Corps through the Platoon Leaders Course. His first assignment was with the 4th Battalion, 10th Marines at Camp Lejeune, where he served as a forward observer, fire direction officer, battery executive officer, assistant battalion operations officer, and headquarters battery commander. He then transferred for duty as the Executive Officer of the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Ranger (CVA-61). After completing this tour, he was assigned to Parris Island, South Carolina, where he served in the 2d Recruit Training Battalion as a series commander, company commander, and Battalion S-4/headquarters company commander. Next, McAbee was assigned to Twentynine Palms, where he served as Commanding Officer of the 4th 155mm Howitzer Battery (Self-Propelled), a nuclear-capable and certified unit.  This was followed by service as the S-3 of 4th Battalion, 11th Marines. After completing the Marine Corps Command and Staff College at Quantico, he was assigned to Casablanca, Morocco, as Commanding Officer, Company B, Marine Security Guard Battalion, responsible for overseeing the security of U.S. Embassies across Africa and the Middle East. Following this, McAbee served as the Wing Training Officer, Assistant Plans Officer, and Plans Officer with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Okinawa, on an air/ground exchange tour before being assigned as the Operations Officer, Assistant Chief of Staff G-3, 7th Marine Expeditionary Brigade in 29 Palms. Following his National War College attendance, he was assigned to CENTCOM and served as Chief of the Ground Operations Branch of the Current Operations Division during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm before serving as the Deputy Chief of the J-3 Exercise Division. In 1992, he assumed command of the 11th Marine Regiment at Camp Pendleton and also served as Commander of the 1st Marine Division while the Commanding General was deployed to Operation Restore Hope. He was subsequently assigned as Chief of Staff at Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, before serving consecutively as the Chief of Staff for I MEF, Marine Forces Pacific, and U.S. Southern Command. In 2001, McAbee concurrently served as Deputy Commanding General, MARFORPAC; Deputy Commanding General, III MEF; and Commanding General, Marine Corps Bases Hawaii. He also served through August 2005 as Deputy Commanding General, USMARCENT, supporting Marine Corps operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Djibouti. Brigadier General McAbee retired in August 2007 after 35 years and 7 months of distinguished service. In retirement, he consulted on national security issues in the Middle East and Africa with Cubic Global Defense and served as Vice President and General Manager for DHS Systems, LLC in Huntsville, Alabama. He is also the author of Stubborn Men and Parched Corn, a Civil War book about the Eighteenth Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment.