TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Edward Greer 1924-2025 Centenarian, World War II, Korean Conflict, and Vietnam War Veteran, U.S. Army
T he El Paso (TX)/Las Cruces (NM) Alumni Chapter mourning the passing of Major General (Ret.) Edward Greer (Tau 1943) who entered the Chapter Invisible at 100 on January 29, 2025. At the time of passing, Greer may have been the oldest surviv- ing member of Kappa Alpha Psi® and one of the last members initiated into the Fraternity before the end of World War II. Greer had a long distinguished military career. In 1972, he was one of the first Black officers to be promoted to the rank of brigadier general. His family described him as “a pioneering figure in the U.S. Army and a trailblazer for African American servicemembers.
“I WAS IN MY FIRST YEAR AT WEST VIRGINIA STATE COLLEGE ROTC WAS MANDATORY. THEY LET US ALL FINISH OUR FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE, AND THEN IN MAY 1943, WE ALL ENLISTED IN THE ARMY.”
Elaine Long. Greer excelled both academically and in leadership throughout his youth. He graduated from high school and enrolled at West Virginia State College (now University). After a year in college, Greer, at age 18, enlisted in the United States Army and placed on active duty in 1943. In 1944, the U.S. Army sent Greer to Europe and saw his first combat in Bel- gium. He served in the 777th Field Artillery Battalion, an all-Black unit, and rose to the rank of master sergeant by the war’s end. After the World War II ended, Greer was honorably discharged. He returned to WVSC to continue his college educa- tion via the GI Bill. On his
return, he joined WVSC’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. He earned his B.S.degree in biological science and was commissioned a Field Artillery Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1948. Later, Greer graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College and the National War College. After Korea, he spent time in Europe, then returned stateside until 1970, when he was stationed in Vietnam. In 1976, he retired as a Major General and moved to El Paso, Texas with his wife. Throughout his service, Greer held numerous lead- ership positions, including assignments abroad. He
was sent to Japan, and from there to Korea during the Korean War, where he saw a heavy amount of combat as a part of his field artillery battalion. In Vietnam, he served as Deputy Com- mander of the XXIV Corps Artillery, and later as the Commanding Officer of the 108th Artillery Group. In the United States, Greer served at Fort Riley, KS; Fort Sill, OK; Fort Lewis, WA; Fort Leavenworth, KS; and as Deputy Commanding General at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. His assignments in Washington, D.C. included duty with the Office of the Secretary of Defense; with the Army Staff: Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for personnel and the Office of
His remarkable career spanned three major
conflicts and represented a significant period of change in the military’s history.” Greer was born on March 8, 1924, in Gary, WV to the son of a coal miner Walter Thomas Greer and wife Vesta
64 THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2024-2025
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