The American Battle Monuments Commission welcomes U.S. Army Gen. (Ret.) Michael X. Garrett as new chairman
The White House has confirmed President Joseph R. Biden’s appointment of U.S. Army Gen. (Ret.) Michael X. Garrett to the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Garrett has been elected to serve as chairman by his fellow commissioners.
Garrett, born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised on military installations across the world, has spent his entire life in and around the U.S. Army. He is the proud son of Lola Garrett, a U.S. Army spouse and life-long public servant, and Command Sergeant Major Edward Garrett, a Vietnam War combat veteran and Silver Star recipient.
An alumnus of both the Department of Defense High School in Baumholder, Germany, and Xavier University in Cincinnati, Garrett began his own Army journey in 1984. He served his formative years in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, and over a decade was assigned to and wore the scrolls of the Regiment’s headquarters and each of its three Ranger battalions.
Garrett went on to command his own formations in the 82nd Airborne and 25th Infantry Divisions, served multiple combat tours in the Middle East, and ultimately led 750,000 combat and support personnel within the Army’s largest organization: Forces Command.
After 38 years of active service, he retired as an Army four-star general, and continues to build connections with U.S. service members and their families, patriotic communities across America, and soldier-friendly universities and businesses. Upon retirement, he was inducted by his own son as a Distinguished Member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, and is the recipient of the Ellis Island Honors Society Medal of Honor along with honorary degrees from Methodist and Xavier University.
“Gen. Garrett brings with him a wealth of experience and leadership, and an exceptional dedication to mission of the U.S. military and those who serve,” said ABMC Secretary Charles K. Djou. “We are pleased to welcome him to the Commission, sharing in the steadfast commitment to honoring those we commemorate at our cemeteries and memorials worldwide.”
Garret will serve alongside ABMC’s other appointed Commissioners, working to ensure the agency and its efforts continue to fulfill the commitment made by ABMC’s first Chairman, Gen. of the Armies John J. Pershing, that ‘time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”
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Media Contact, ABMC’s U.S. Headquarters
Ashleigh Byrnes (U.S.)
248-342-2562
Media Contact, ABMC’s Overseas Operations (France)
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About American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC):
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) operates and maintains 26 cemeteries and 32 federal memorials, monuments, and commemorative plaques in 17 countries throughout the world, including the United States. The four memorials in the United States are: the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.; the Honolulu memorial located within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii; the West Coast Memorial located within the Presidio National Park in San Francisco, Calif; and the East Coast Memorial located within Battery City Park in New York, N.Y. Since March 4, 1923, ABMC’s sacred mission remains to honor the service, achievements, and sacrifice of more than 200,000 U.S. service members buried and memorialized at our sites. For more information about ABMC, visit abmc.gov.