Capturing any member of any terrorist cell or any insurgent cell that we may happen to come across is always very, very valuable, and the thing that interests me is that in most instances after a time people talk and they tell us what they know.

He was raised Catholic. Abizaid succeeded General Tommy Franks as Commander USCENTCOM on July 7 2003 and was also elevated to the rank of four-star general the same week. On March 16 2007 Abizaid transferred command to Admiral William J.

Fallon on March 16 2007. Abizaid retired from the military on May 1 2007 after 34 years of service. He assumed the DistinguiJohn Abizaidd Chair of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point in December 2007.