Thomas Henry Green (April 22, 1889 – March 27, 1971) was an American military officer with the rank of major general, who served as

Judge Advocate General of the United States Army The Judge Advocate General of the United States Army (TJAG) is the senior officer of the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army. Under Title 10 of the United States Code, the TJAG is appointed by the President of the United State ...

from 1945 to 1949.
The Judge Advocate General
'

Early years

Thomas Henry Green was born on April 22, 1889, in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. Green attended the

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

and received a Bachelor of Law degree in 1915. He practiced law 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 ...

for some time. His military career began back in February 1913, when he enlisted in the

Massachusetts National Guard The Massachusetts National Guard is the National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the oldest units in the United States Army. What is toda ...

as a private in troop A, 1st Massachusetts Cavalry. Green served with his national guard unit on Mexican Border in 1916 and was also commissioned a second lieutenant of cavalry in the Regular Army, in 1917. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Green was promoted to the temporary rank of major and ordered to the

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

with 2nd Cavalry within

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

in March 1918. He participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive as a battalion commander. After the war, Green attended the

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

and received a Master of Laws degree in 1923. Subsequently, he served as Assistant Judge Advocate of the 2nd Corps at

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In 1939, Green was appointed a Chief of Patent Section in Military Affairs Section,

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Second World War

He was assigned to

Fort Shafter Fort Shafter, in Honolulu CDP, Page 4/ref> City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, is the headquarters of the United States Army Pacific, which commands most Army forces in the Asia-Pacific region with the exception of Korea. Geographically, Fort ...

, Hawaii, in August 1940 as Judge Advocate of the

Hawaiian Department Hawaiian may refer to: * Native Hawaiians, the current term for the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants * Hawaii state residents, regardless of ancestry (only used outside of Hawaii) * Hawaiian language Historic uses ...

. Green was a lieutenant colonel at the time of the 1941

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

. He was than appointed an executive officer to the Military Governor of Hawaiian Islands, Lieutenant General

Delos C. Emmons Delos Carleton Emmons (January 17, 1889 – October 3, 1965) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. Essentially a "desk general," he was the military governor of Hawaii in the aftermath of the Attack on Pearl Harbor and administered t ...

, and stayed in this capacity until 1943. Green was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

on May 24, 1942. Following his service in Hawaii, he was transferred to the Washington, D.C., where he was appointed a Judge Advocate General, deputy of JAG, major general

Myron C. Cramer Myron Cady Cramer (1881–1966) was a U.S. Army General officers in the United States, general who served as Judge Advocate General of the United States Army, Judge Advocate General during World War II when the Judge Advocate General's Corps, Unit ...

. In this capacity, he was responsible for Military Justice and later also for Civil Justice. He served in this capacity until December 1945, when Major General Cramer was retired and Green replaced him. Green was also promoted to 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 a ...

on December 1, 1945. Green served as JAG until November 30, 1949, when he finally retired from the army. He was replaced by Maor General Ernest M. Brannon. For his service during World War II, Major General Green received an

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

with

Oak Leaf Cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

and five Army Commendation Medals.

Life in retirement

After retirement from the Army, Green worked as professor of law and professor emeritus at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

until his death. Henry Green died on March 27, 1971, at the age of 81. He is buried together with his wife Ruth Tuthill Green (1895–1988) at Indian Mound Cemetery in

Moravia, New York Moravia is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 3,626 at the 2010 census. The town of Moravia contains a village also called Moravia. The town is in the Finger Lakes region, south of Auburn. History Moravia was ...

Decorations

Major general Thomas H. Green received some decorations for his military service. Here is his ribbon bar:

References

External links

Martial Law in Hawaii: The Papers of Major General Thomas H. Green, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Thomas H. 1889 births 1971 deaths Lawyers from Cambridge, Massachusetts Boston University School of Law alumni George Washington University Law School alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals Judge Advocates General of the United States Army Attack on Pearl Harbor Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) University of Arizona faculty Burials in New York (state) United States Army generals of World War II