John Philip Abizaid was born on April 1, 1951, in Redwood City, California, to a Lebanese-American family; his grandparents had migrated from Lebanon to California in the late 19th century. He was raised in Ben Lomond, California, and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in June 1973, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry. Abizaid began his military career serving as a rifle and scout platoon leader with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Over a 34-year career in the U.S. Army, he rose to the rank of four-star general, becoming the longest-serving commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from July 1, 2003, to March 1, 2007. Following his retirement from the military, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2021.