William Green Jr. | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait of Green | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service | United States Army |
Rank | Major general |
Commands |
|
Battles / wars | Iraq war |
Awards | |
Alma mater |
William 'Bill' Green Jr. is a United States Army major general serves as the 26th and current Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army. He is the third African-American to hold the position. [1]
Born in Savannah, Georgia to William Green Sr. and Mary Green, Green grew up in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. [1] He has a brother, Calvin, who is a retired colonel; and three sisters, Rosalind, Samantha, and Brenda. [2] After graduating from high school, Green enlisted in the army as a cannon crewman and radio repairman. [1] Green married his wife Robin in 1984; they have three adult children. [1] [3] A member of the National Baptist Convention, Green left active duty in 1986 to become an ordained minister. He originally served as the pastor of a small congregation in Garden City, Georgia. [2] In 1989 he received a BS in Criminal Justice from Savannah State University and in 1992 he received a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University. He became an army chaplain in 1994. [1]
Green has served as I Corps Command Chaplain at Joint Base Lewis McChord; Division Chaplain for the 1st Armored Division in Germany and deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom; chaplain of the 28th Combat Support Hospital at Fort Bragg, during which he deployed as part of Operation Joint Forge; chaplain for the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery, Fort Lewis, Washington; chaplain for the 702nd Main Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea; and as chaplain for the 14th Field Artillery, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. [4]
From October 2016 to July 2019, Green was the command chaplain at Fort Shafter for the United States Army Pacific. [5]
Green was named deputy chief of chaplains and promoted to brigadier general in August 2019. In December 2023, he was promoted to major general. He was formally promoted in a ceremony in March 2024. [5] [6]