EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — Retired Army Maj. Gen. Edward Greer, who has spent most of his retirement years in El Paso, survived three wars and growing up in a segregated United States.
He also reached the pinnacle of his chosen profession, rising to the rank of a major general or a two-star general.
As he nears his 100 th birthday next month, Greer doesn’t like to think of himself as a pioneer or trailblazer as a Black man.
Distinguished Army major general to turn 100 in March
Instead, he likes to think about all the Black men who came before him, paving the way for his success.
“There were so many other guys who went down that road before I even got around,” Greer said in a sit-down interview earlier this month.
Greer, a native of Gary, West Virginia, will turn 100 on March 8.
“We have had some guys who have done some fantastic things you have probably never even heard of,” he said.
Greer started his Army adventure when he enlisted in 1943 and served for three years in World War II. He served in the 777th Field Artillery Battalion, an all-Black unit that had white officers.