Distinguished Army major general to turn 100 in March
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Retired in the Sun City since 1976, retired Army Maj. Gen. Edward Greer will be turning 100 years old next month on March 8.
As Greer approaches a new milestone, our KTSM crew sat with him to reflect on his distinguished military career.
“A sense of cooperation, brotherhood, advancement because it was a long, long march from 31st of May 1948 when I graduated from college, to December 9, 1977 when I retired,” he said during an interview at his home in Northeast El Paso.
Born and raised in West Virginia, Greer first enlisted in the Army during World War ll, where he served in a field artillery battalion.
Discharged after the war ended, he went back to college and graduated from West Virginia State College in 1948, before returning to the Army. In his 31 years of service, he would also serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
“I would say maybe one was a gentleman’s war and the other was hell,” Greer said about the difference between Korea and Vietnam. “It was a whole lot different from Korea. You could at least drive some of the roads in your area safely but that was not the case in Vietnam.”
Greer rose through the military ranks in times of segregation and monumental change. One of the most pivotal moments of his career was when he was one of five black soldiers selected to be promoted to the rank of brigadier general on the same day in 1972.
“Because you recognize how few there are, you are one of very few. And the Army, I’ll give them credit, to make a selection of five and at one swoop had never been done before and it hasn’t been done again,” Greer said.
He would also serve at the Pentagon for an extensive period of time in Washington D.C. before retiring in 1976. Having trained at Fort Bliss on several occasions throughout his military career, he decided to retire in El Paso because of its culture, way of life and weather.
“You see this weather out here? It’s far different from Washington D.C.,” Greer. “It’s such an enjoyable pace of life, I find, to live here.”
Nearing a century on the Earth and a new milestone in his life, for Greer the pursuit of achievements does not have an end in sight.
“I know that every day is an achievement for me,” he said. “After we make 100, we want to make 101.”
Stay up to date on our website KTSM 9 News as we will be publishing an in-depth feature piece on General Greer in the weeks leading up to his birthday.
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