Harold Joseph "Harry" Greene (February 11, 1959 – August 5, 2014) was a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
general who was killed during the
War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC)
* Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709)
*Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
. During his time with the United States Army, he held various commands associated with engineering and logistical support for United States and coalition troops. At the time of his death, he was deputy commanding general of
Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan.
At the rank of
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
, Greene was the highest-ranking American service member killed by hostile action since Lieutenant General
Timothy Maude
Timothy Joseph "Tim" Maude (November 18, 1947 – September 11, 2001) was a United States Army officer who was killed in the September 11 attacks at The Pentagon.
Maude, a lieutenant general, was the highest ranking U.S. military officer killed ...
was killed in the
September 11 attack on the Pentagon, and the highest-ranking service member killed on foreign soil during a war since Rear Admiral
Rembrandt C. Robinson was killed during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
in May 1972. To date, Greene is also the highest-ranking American officer to be killed in combat in the ongoing
Global War on Terrorism
The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
.
Greene was killed at
Camp Qargha, Afghanistan when a member of the Afghan National Army opened fire on a delegation of general officers and other dignitaries who were conducting an inspection tour. Fourteen NATO and Afghan service members were wounded in the attack. The attacker was killed at the scene when two NATO service members returned fire; a subsequent investigation indicated that the Afghan soldier, 22-year old Pashtun Private Rafiqullah, was motivated by unhappiness over being denied leave to travel home during the
Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Early life and education
Greene was born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, on February 11, 1959, to Eva May Shediak (May 22, 1928 – February 15, 2013) and Harold F. Greene (born 1930).
[ He grew up in ]Schenectady
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
, New York graduated from Guilderland High School in 1977, and from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) with a bachelor's degree in materials engineering in 1980. Greene's father lived in Guilderland, New York
Guilderland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 36,848. The town is named for the Gelderland province in the Netherlands.
The town of Guilderland is on the central-northwest border ...
at the time of his death. His mother died in February 2013.[ Greene received a ]master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in industrial engineering from RPI, and a master's in materials engineering from the University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
(USC). In addition, he received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from USC,[ and a ]Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
(1992) in materials science, also from USC.[
Greene's military education included the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, and the ]United States Army Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
. He completed the Defense Systems Management College's Advanced Program Management Course at the Defense Acquisition University
The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) is a corporate university of the United States Department of Defense offering "acquisition, technology, and logistics" (AT&L) training to military and Federal civilian staff and Federal contractors. DAU is ...
, and also held a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the United States Army War College
The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...
.
Career
Greene received his commission as an engineer officer in 1980, after completing Reserve Officer Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.
Overview
While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...
at RPI.[
As he worked his way through the ranks, Greene's assignments included platoon leader, company executive officer, and battalion staff officer, ]Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish.
It was named to honor Leonidas Polk, the firs ...
; resident engineer in Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
; project engineer in Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
; brigade engineer and company commander, V Corps, West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
; staff officer and materials engineer, Army Aviation and Troop Command, St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
; product manager, Aerial Common Sensor, Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth is a former installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about from the Atlantic Ocean. T ...
; and assistant director, Combat Developments Directorate, U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center, Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of The City of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard W ...
.[ At the time of the ]September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
in 2001, he was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood.[
Greene was promoted to ]brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in late 2009, and served as deputy commanding general of at Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work a ...
. and the commanding general of Natick Soldier Systems Center. While at Natick, Greene urged the military to incorporate smartphones, video games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedbac ...
and virtual world
A virtual world (also called a virtual space) is a computer-simulated environment which may be populated by many users who can create a personal avatar, and simultaneously and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities ...
s into military training. Later, he became Program Executive Officer
A program executive officer, or PEO, is one of a few key individuals in the United States military acquisition process. As can be seen from the examples below, a program executive officer may be responsible for a specific program (e.g., the Joi ...
for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology). Promoted to major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
in 2012, he was Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management in the same office.[ In January 2014 he was named deputy commander of Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan.
]
Death
On August 5, 2014, Greene died after being shot by an Afghan soldier with an M16 rifle at Camp Qargha's Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. He had been making a routine visit to a training facility at the time. The Afghan National Army MP, identified as Rafiqullah, began firing from his barracks room window on Greene and about 90 other U.S. and coalition forces who were visiting the university. Fourteen NATO and Afghan service members were wounded in the attack,[Afghan insider's killing of U.S. general marks grim renewal of tactic](_blank)
''Los Angeles Times'' including Brigadier General Michael Bartscher of the German Bundeswehr
The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
, two Afghan generals and another Afghan officer, eight Americans, and two British soldiers. The Afghan soldier was shot and killed by two NATO service members identified as one Danish and one American.
On the morning of August 7, 2014, Greene's body arrived at Dover Air Force Base
Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. 436th AW is the host wing and runs the busiest and largest a ...
in Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
. Greene was buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
on August 14, 2014.
On July 10, 2015, the Town of Natick, Massachusetts renamed Kansas Street in Greene's honor. On September 25, 2015, the nine British servicemen acting as the Close Protection Team for the group were awarded the US Army Commendation Medal for their heroism in saving the lives of many others.
Personal life
Greene was married to Sue Myers, a doctorArmy memorial ceremony honors Maj. Gen. Greene (Aug. 14, 2014)
/ref> and retired colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
who worked as a professor at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.[ At the time of his death, she lived in Falls Church, ]Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.[ Greene had two children, a daughter, Amelia Greene, and a son, Matthew Greene, who is a U.S. Army Captain.][
]
Awards and decorations
See also
* United States military casualties in the War in Afghanistan
* Major General Nathanael Greene
Notes
References
External links
Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Harold J.
1959 births
2014 deaths
American military personnel killed in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Deaths by firearm in Afghanistan
Military personnel from New York (state)
United States Army generals
People from Boston
People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania
People from Schenectady County, New York
People from Falls Church, Virginia
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni
USC Viterbi School of Engineering alumni
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
United States Army War College alumni
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Military personnel from Pennsylvania
Military personnel from Massachusetts