Harold J. Greene
United States Army general (1959–2014) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Harold J. Greene?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Harold Joseph "Harry" Greene (February 11, 1959 – August 5, 2014) was a United States Army general who was killed during the War in Afghanistan. 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.
Harold J. Greene | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | "Harry"[1] |
Born | (1959-02-11)February 11, 1959[2] Boston, Massachusetts, United States[3] |
Died | August 5, 2014(2014-08-05) (aged 55) Camp Qargha, Kabul, Afghanistan |
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1980–2014[4][5] |
Rank | Major General[6] |
Commands held | Natick Soldier Systems Center |
Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan † |
Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal[7] Legion of Merit (4)[8] Purple Heart[8][N 1] |
Spouse(s) | Sue Myers (wife)[3] |
Children | 2 |
At the rank of major general, Greene was the highest-ranking American service member killed by hostile action since Lieutenant General Timothy Maude 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 in May 1972.[9][10] To date, Greene is also the highest-ranking American officer to be killed in combat in the ongoing Global War on Terrorism.[11]
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.