Michael J.L. Greene, a retired Army brigadier general and decorated combat veteran of World War II and Vietnam, died June 15 at his home in Washington. He was 92.
He had peripheral artery disease, said his son, Michael J. L. Greene Jr.
Michael J.L. Greene, Army brigadier general
Gen. Greene began his Army career in 1941 and specialized as an officer in armored units. During World War II, he participated in the Battle of the Bulge and received the Silver Star — the military’s third-highest honor for valor — for leading a reconnaissance force through enemy-occupied territory in the dark, snow-blanketed woods near Houffalize, Belgium.
From 1963 to 1965, he served as executive assistant to two commanders of U.S. military forces in Vietnam: Gen. Paul D. Harkins and Gen. William C. Westmoreland.
In 1970, Gen. Greene served a second tour in Vietnam as the commanding general of military headquarters in Saigon. He retired in 1971.
He worked as a Defense Department consultant for several years before serving from 1980 to 1986 as executive director of what is now the Knollwood Residence, a retirement community for military veterans.
Michael Joseph Lenihan Greene was born in West Point, N.Y. He was a 1941 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and received a master’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1951. His grandfather and father both served as Army officers and were also West Point graduates.
In addition to the Silver Star, Gen. Greene’s military decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal; three awards of the Legion of Merit; the Distinguished Flying Cross; the Bronze Star; and the Purple Heart.
His memberships included the Cosmos Club and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Eileen Connor Greene of Washington; four children, Molly Haywood of East Lansing, Mich., Rebecca Fellows of Boulder, Colo., Michael J.L. Greene Jr. of Alexandria and Katharine Greene of Savannah, Ga.; a brother; seven grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.
— T. Rees Shapiro
