Former APG Leader Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

When Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene was fatally shot in Afghanistan earlier this month, it was a loss felt nationwide and particularly at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG).

Greene, who was buried Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery, served in “key acquisition roles” from 2009 to 2012 at APG, where he visited most recently in May, The Baltimore Sun reported. From APG, he moved on to working at the Pentagon before deployment this January, according to reports.

At a memorial service attended by more than 1,000 people at APG’s post theater on Monday, Col. David Moore described his former colleague as “one of the greatest solders this Army has ever produced,” according to APG News.

Greene was a two-star general but “never put on airs” and made time to listen to and laugh with people he worked with, a woman he mentored at the Pentagon told The Washington Post.

In Afghanistan, Greene was serving as deputy commanding general on a mission to help develop a security force in Kabul—his first combat assignment in a 34-year military career—when he was shot in the back at Afghanistan’s military academy on Aug. 5, according to The Baltimore Sun.

An Afghan soldier opened fire at close range, killing Greene and wounding more than one dozen others, including eight Americans, The Washington Post reported.

During a memorial Thursday morning at the Pentagon, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said that Greene was overseas helping to prepare the Afghan forces so the U.S. troops could withdraw, a job that he was selected for due to his background, credentials and personality. “I believe he had a rare combination of intellect, compassion and warrior ethos,” Odierno said in a report by the Army News Service. “He was simply a great man.”

Greene, 55, is survived by two children, his wife and other family members. He lived in Falls Church, VA, according to Falls Church Patch.

He was buried with full military honors Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery, the ceremony including a riderless horse accompanying his casket and 13-cannon salute, WJLA reported.

Greene was the most highly ranked officer killed in overseas combat since the Vietnam War, according to NBC News.

Photo Credit: Associated Press/YouTube screen shot

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