LTC Gerald H. Green III; questions about WTC’s former commander
SSG E sends us a link from the Army Times which raises questions about Lieutenant Colonel Gerald H. Green III who was the commander of the Warrior Training Center at Fort Benning from July 9th to around September 10th. Shortly before that, the Army Times staff had asked for documentation for LTC Green’s Ranger Tab. According to the WTC’s webpage the unit exists “To train ARNG Soldiers, DoD, and Foreign Military Service Members in functional skills, which include: Ranger Training Assessment, Modern Army Combatives, Air Assault, Pathfinder, Bradley and Abrams Training Assessment, and Vehicle Crew Evaluator Courses”. The Times says;
An Oct. 17 request by Army Times for publicly releasable portions of Green’s records, including his official photo and information on the training that would make him eligible to wear the tabs, was denied Friday by a National Guard Bureau spokesman, who cited the “re-opening” of Benning’s investigation for the denial.
Army Times obtained Green’s official photo from a person familiar with the case. In it, Green is shown wearing both tabs.
The Times isn’t getting answers to any of their questions to anyone, which sort of answers all of those questions, I suppose.
Category: Phony soldiers
If these tabs are in his official photo, then I would wage money that the tabs are listed on his ORB. I believe the promotion boards match these things up… Which means, the investigation might be more than just wearing unearned tabs, but how the tabs got listed in his ORB (or a previous DD-214 that was then used as a basis for the ORB). My thought anyway.
Not always, JAGC. Promo boards screen literally thousands of records in a relatively short period of time; each record gets only a short look. It’s entirely possible for the board to miss something, particularly if the group under consideration is larger than normal. And I believe the latter has been the case for MAJ and LTC boards lately.
It is possible for the board to collectively miss something, but I don’t know of any officers who would take that risk. When I went to the 04 board, I was very careful to ensure that my ORB matched with the official photo because a mismatch could kill the promotion.
It’s rare. But as I noted above, there is documented evidence that it happens at times.
If I’m recalling this correctly (this was 30+ years ago now), the “interesting info” I referenced above was the fact that one or more of the decorations the guy was wearing in his official photo seemed to be questionable if not outright fraudulent. And the GO relating the story was at the time of the incident sitting on an officer promo board.
If they are his DD 214, and he signed it during DEMOB, then he committed a crime.
“Submitting false docs with intent to deceive”, I believe that was charge. Then comes down to who hand-jammed a 1059 and or a certificate for him or more than likely, what little admin soldier did he intimidate to process.
*CORRECTION* “Submitting false docs with intent to deceive”, I believe that is what the charge could be. Then comes down to who hand-jammed a 1059 and or a certificate for him or more than likely, what little admin soldier did he intimidate to process
Hmm. Wonder if Frankie C.’s (or anyone else’s) informal contacts at Ranger School might be able to do a quick check of the school’s records regarding the guy?
Apparently, that’s how they caught him. He had the tab in his records, but RTB couldn’t find a class date for him.
Interesting. Wonder if the guy went, didn’t make it – and then faked it from that point forward (or after a PCS). There are any number of ways that could have happened – particularly if the Army was still letting anyone hand-carry their field 201 file during a PCS in the late 1990s.
Not saying that happened, and I hate to think that an officer (or NCO) would pull that stunt. But “rockin’ the lie” with faked docs does happen from time to time, officers included. Had a GO once tell a group of us about a promo board he sat on where they discovered some . . . interesting stuff in a guy’s file concerning the guy’s decorations.
My guess is that the guy went and didn’t make it.
With the course being relatively short, the “Tab” orders are written weeks in advance of graduation. Those that don’t make it for whatever reason are placed on a separate order that revokes the Tab.
My orders has 50+ names on the sheet, including several who either left the course outright, or who recycled and graduated later.
At the end of each course RTB keeps a master copy of those who actually graduated, which is what was probably checked.
If he had a copy of the first order in his file, it would have looked good to go as far as the board members were concerned. It would only be caught if there was a double check with RTB against both lists.
Since the guy was sent to run the Pre-Ranger program I’m surprised that his records weren’t checked out prior to arriving.
Lastly, I think the LTC is a National Guard officer, so perhaps the board process was not as tight as mighty be expected with an AC board.
We hade a turd at Fort Bragg that quite ranger school in Florida. He hade a short pissen content with a instructor. Something about more time in grade and service than the RI had. NO/GO. Months later his records showed he completed Ranger school. Two hours later it was Ranger tabs on everything he owned. liven the big lie. Zero honor or integrity about it. And our feeble food chain looked the other way. Years later and he is still rocken the lie on his linkten page. Yup that turd was fun to laugh at any time words like honor, respect and integrity came out of his face.
Anybody want a name I guaranty he makes into out tournament.
Your guess would be incorrect. He had a reservation in ATRRS for class 10-99. It was cancelled and he never attended the course.
He likely would have gotten away with it in other assignments, but what idiot goes to Fort Benning wearing anything he didn’t earn. He was the commander of the BN that runs the Pre-Ranger school for most of the Army and all of the other services. And yes, when he was questioned about it, he fessed up. He didn’t ear the Ranger of Sapper tabs, not sure about his CAB, jump and air assault wings. That remains to be seen.
Is he a West Pointer? We had plenty of those in the 82nd with Sapper and Ranger school. But not something you see in a armored division.
Negative. Missouri State U in my old hometown of Springfield.
Sapper3307: the guy’s an Engineer officer, so the Sapper tab kinda makes sense to me. And as you noted, a slot for Ranger school could have been the result of his being assigned to an Infantry unit sometime along the way.
He was my counterpart PL in the 5th En. I know he didn’t go to Sapper when we were there. We also had to MEDEVAC this turd out of the box at NTC after 3 days because he had a nervous breakdown. My god it was just a training exercise…….
See what happens when the Chain of Command doesn’t take out the trash. We need commanders with integrity that men will be proud to follow, not this crap
I wonder if these guys live in fear they will eventually get caught and humiliated or if they just come to believe their own lies. I mean completing Ranger school puts you into a pretty tight group so what do you say when another Ranger approaches you and starts talking to you?
The Army also needs to un-fuck their uniforms and crack down on what gets submitted. That guys sleeves are too long and too big around, his shirt is a gaggle and his tie looks like a clip on. If your an LTC you have the coin to get a decent Marlow uniform and get it tailored.Its the biggest thing that bugged me when I went to the Army side after serving in the Marine Corps.
I just can’t imagine why, if he was indeed lying, he’d have taken that gig in the first place. If I were lying about earning a Ranger tab, the LAST place I’d ever set foot would be Ft. Benning; and if I had to go there, I sure as shit wouldn’t take command of the WTC! Don’t officers have to apply for gigs like this? I mean, he didn’t just get assigned there – he did have to seek it out, right?
Officers get assigned like any one else. We usually have serve in certain positions like staff training and such. Not knowing the guy this could Count as his second battalion command. Though not sure.
Still officers at his rank are given a short list. So they may pick of three choices. But yeah….why choose here? Might be he’s been lying for a whole and figured he’d get away with it.
Back in the 4ID around 1998 we had a company commander lie about his record and forge pt tests for himself.
Hell, when I was at Bliss in the mid 80’s we had our Battery CO (ADA branch) relieved for forging his Bachelors. Quite disconcerting for a young 18 year old PV2 to see your commander being led away by CID :).
He was between a rock and a hard place. He’d been rocking the lie for a long time, and had snowed a 4 star and several powerful colonels. The job at Benning that he took is probably the only one in the ARNG Title 10 program coded for the airborne ranger skill identifier. The bench in the Title 10 world for LTCs with that identifier is small, and given that he is politically connected in the organization, it immediately went to him. When he got the offer, he could not accept, which would cause a lot of questions about why someone would not take one of the very few ARGN Title 10 battalion commands and would eventually lead to him having to tell them about the fake tabs, or take the job and hope that he could fake it until he got picked up for SSC or O6. He opted for the latter and it bit him in the ass.
NGSB = National Guard Shit Bag.
Word.
Green Thumb. There are many fine Soldiers in the ARNG and the Regular Army. And there are dirt bags to be found in both as well. I have been in both and I know this to be true.
I agree.
Tons in AD as well.
However, few as turdy as what this assclown tried to pull.
He started the lies when he joined the Guard from AD.
Dunno who you are, amigo – and I don’t care. But assuming you’re telling the truth in your screen name . . . thanks for burning this tool.
If you are the one that caught him, I owe you a beer next time I’m in Georgia. This POS caused me more grief as the S3 for an Ad Hoc maneuver unit in Kosovo than I care to recount. Needless to say, it was a great birthday present for me when I was told the news. Thanks again.
I’ve had the privilege of serving in support position to the Ranger Bn at Fort Lewis then the Ranger School Desert Phase when it was at Dugway Proving Ground. The is no doubt in my military mind if any one of them had their credentials challenged proof would be produced in a New Yawk minute. What we now need is for someone at Fort Bragg to eyeball this guy at work on Monday and the uniform he is wearing will quickly answer the question.
A “phildosical” dude.
He’s another gut who I know in passing given job location and some other similar on our ORBs. He’s a Title 10 ARNG AGR. He was in an engineer unit in Missouri and came to the Title 10 program from there. He was essentially fast tracked for block check positions with the intent to have him pin on O6 in a few years, far ahead of peers. The senior Title 10 ARNG staff loves guys with a lot of cool guy stuff on their uniforms, and coming from the same unit as the Chief, National Guard Bureau doesn’t hurt, either. He had already been a branch chief and worked for the chief, NGB, so the battalion command at Benning was supposed to be the final kiss on the cheek before he went off to the War College then pinned on O6.
From what I’ve heard, the Sapper tab is also a no-go and there is some questionable paperwork that was used to get both of the tabs on his ORB. Where he really screwed up is not coming clean while he was working directly for the ARNG. If he had, given his connections, it would have been swept under the rug and he would have been tracking for O6 to save everyone the embarrassment. Since he was found out at Benning, the Maneuver Center of Excellence has UCMJ authority, and they are pissed, so I don’t see things working out so well for him in the end of this one.
The capper is that someone who I served in Afghanistan with worked in the same area as this guy. Green preceded to give the guy crap one day for being a field grade 11A without a tab, despite his CIB. I can’t wait until the next time that they run into each other.
NGB = “National Guard Boys-club”.
I had an E-7 once come to my unit from the National Guard, switched to the Reserves for some reason. He was wearing a Ranger Tab and no one thought anything of it until he started trying to talk tactics and would have to pull out the CTT manual to talk about simple tasks.
The CSM at the time asked me to look at his schools record and he’d been scheduled and dropped. So the CSM asked him about it and the response was basically “well, in my last unit, we all wore them because of the unit.” Who then immediately told him to remove it and stop wearing it.
At one point we had a public welcome day for the unit and a friend of his showed up, saw him and started asking him why he wasn’t wearing his Ranger Tab. His response was “oh, they don’t wear them in this unit.” He ended up leaving the unit within about two months after that. Probably went to the next unit and put it right back on.
Problem with the National Guard (or even the Reserves) is you have people who have known each other for 10-15-20 years and they “hook eachother up” a lot. So a officer who knows the right people can get anything added to his ORB. Especially if they spend time at a STARC. (I remember seeing people at STARCs in a couple cases and they looked like South American Dictators)
Word.
Eric…Now I’m getting the picture. You know, I walked past and saluted a Special Forces Captain once. I guess that means I can add a SF patch to my old uniform and get a spiffy, suitable for hanging “Special Forces Qualified” certificate online too! What a way cool and easy way to get the goods and respect without all the hard work involved. Who knew?
Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhhh, oh! I know, I know! Ala John Walsh and the Montana National Guard…He’s “legit”. Yea, man! “Legit”, thats it…
Well, I’ll say this in defense of the guy:
And, yes, you may quote me.
LTC Green; came to the Missouri National Guard from, when he came off active duty and took an ROTC Cadres Job at College of the Ozarks in Pointe Lookout Missouri, part of the Missouri State University ROTC program. He come in to the Missouri National Guard with the Ranger Tab as a Captain, that he supposely earn while on active duty. He was commissioned through the Army ROTC Program. Her served with the 101ST in Fort Campbell as an Engineer Officer. He would always say do you know what SAPPER stands for: Sorry Ass Piss Poor Excuse (for a) Ranger. It seems kinda funny that he would wear both Tabs on his Uniform. He served as Company C Cammander, of the 203rd Engineer BN, Missouri Army National Guard in Iraq from May 2003 through out July 2004, assigned with Construction Missions under the 1st Armor Division and 2nd ACR. The Sapper Tab would have had to be earn after Iraq 2004 time frame to now 2014 time frame. Most likely through the Missouri Army National Guard SAPPER Training Program, supervised by the US Army Engineer SAPPER program at Ft. Leonard Wood.
Here is another CRAZY thing about LTC Green: While he was the Commander of Company C 203rd En BN, Engineer Captain, in Iraq; he so badly wanted to have a gun truck to ride in. So he took a soft covered, canvas covered HUMV, mounted a Plywood and 2 X 4’s platform on top of the Canvas Covered HUMV; He than mounted a M-2, 50 Cal on Tripod and placed the weapon system on top the Plywood Platform; He than took 4; 3″ Cargo Tie Down ratchet Straps and strap the Plywood Platform and the M-2, 50 Cal on Tripod to the top of the Canvas covered HUMV. He drove that HUMV all over Iraq, in and around Baghdad in 2003 and 2004. If they would have ever fired that weapon system, he would have killed someone when it jumped off the HUMV. The tie down ratchet straps would have never held down the weapon syst while it was being fired. Crazy!
Hey I remember that thing running around BIAP. I was the commander of the 249th EN and worked with the 203rd. I do not remember him but I saw that crazy rig a few times. Don’t kick our dog.
And the 203rd guy who turned a 5 ton into a camper with plywood and drove it past then BG Dempsey and gave him a heart attack. Had razorback down the side.
Seems several commentators know Green quite well. I know this person as well. Bobo called it, as a T10 AGR asset, he gets what’s given to him. In Green’s case, he has been give A LOT! He comes from the same state and same unit as the current Chief, NGB. Green, along with some other MO Nat’l Guard officers have all ascended to the staff of GEN Grass. Now, what happens to Green will depend on how much public notice this current action will receive. If it slowly fades away, then NOTHING will happen to Green. NOTHING. Why? Because it has happened before. Former TAG Montana, now Sen. Walsh took a hit because the media refused to let go of the story and so the military had to act. Green is no Senator, but if you’re in Arlington Va in a year or so, take a tour of the hundreds of cubicles there. You’ll probably find this guy waiting out his 20 years AFS…
The NG Standard!
He looks like one of those things that Mario and Luigi step on in Mario Brothers.
I’ve know Green for over 10 years. He didn’t wear the Sapper tab in 2003/2004 because it wasn’t authorized at that time. So he could have completed/passed Sapper school while on AD.
Green was a Small Group Instructor at the Active Duty Engineer Officer Advance Course at Fort Leonard Wood in 2005/2006 as a T10 AGR Officer. He wore both tabs then (Sapper tab was authorized by then). The idea of be-boppin’ around Fort Leonard Wood with a Sapper tab that he didn’t earn is beyond insane. It’s way to easy to make a phone call and verify if someone is authorized to wear that tab. I just dont believe the school house in FLW would have let an SGL get in front of students wearing tabs that he wasn’t authorized to wear. None of this makes any sense.
To some extent, I would agree with Silly Sapper. LTC Green is no stupid. He completed Engineer Officer Basic Course, the Engineer Officer Advance Course, and many other advance officer courses at the Engineer School at Ft. Leonard Wood. He worked as an ROTC Cadres. He served in Iraq and Kosovo. He also worked in the Engineer School House as GS employee. It seems as if someone, somewhere down the line would have check his Personal File and called him out on this long before now. I also know he applied and interviewed for a federal job with FBI and was not hired. If he was a good old boy that every one like I could see no one ever checking. But he is not a good old boy and not very many people like him. He has stepped on or ran over a lot of people in his climb up the officer promotion ladder. He is pompous, arrogant individual that has always thought he was better than everyone around him. He treated the other Missouri National Guard Officers like they were nothing and were not good enough to be an officer. He treated many National Guard NCO’s the same way. It is my thought that he treated the wrong person the wrong way. Now it is coming around to bite him in the but. You reap what you sow!
That sums up Green to a T. I’ve seen him treat subordinates and peers like crap. So you’re right. Someone would have called him out a long time ago.
He was one of my OBC instructors at the Engineer School. While we were in pre-Ranger he was supposed to be going through it with us but was so out of shape he couldn’t even complete one workout with the group. When the leadership found out he was not even showing up but supposed to be in charge he got lit up for it. He is a piece of shit.
I interacted with LTC Green as a mob planner for a year or so while he was working the MOb Futures desk @ NGB G3, not to pile on, but he always seemed to be in “over his head”. Guy was not pleasant to be around and also didn’t know what he was talking about most of the time..
Ha! I deployed with him to Kosovo and there isn’t anything said above that I could disagree with…what an arrogant, tab/rank rubbing POS…I hope he gets the same thing the recent CSM got for wearing unearned awards…
“But he is not a good old boy and not very many people like him. He has stepped on or ran over a lot of people in his climb up the officer promotion ladder. He is pompous, arrogant individual that has always thought he was better than everyone around him.” Spot on, I remember him from a deployment in Kosovo and no one had anything pleasant to say about him.
This shitbag could always head south to Florida when he is kicked out.
I know another “less than honorable” COL and a fake Commander at All-Points Logistics that would love to have his level of shitbaggery….I mean expertise.
Anyone got an update on investigation?
I was wondering the same thing. Even COL Pounding who had his article 32 after this tool has already been recommended for a court martial yet this guy’s case is all quiet. Wanna bet he is almost done with his retirement packet and they’ll say he retired so investigation was cloased
If he retires, it’s still a win against toxic leadership. The cynic in me wants this guy to spend some time with Bubba at Leavenworth. The practical side of me just wants him out of the Army and away from leading troops.
Unless he’s been in since 1994/1995, he’s not about to retire. And I’d guess he would have gone to Ranger School as a Lieutenant back in 1999.
I’m pretty sure that neither 18-year sanctuary or having an approved retirement packet barrs being thrown out administratively for due cause or as the result of a court-martial sentence. I could be wrong.
He had enlisted time before going ROTC so he’ll be in the window soon. You’re right about the Court Martial trumping sanctuary. Here’s to him getting booted. Good riddance.
Ha! Thought I remember seeing him on Together We Served.com and sure as shit his “awards” are there for all to see…Sapper/Ranger/ARCOM with V etc…
I remember building the gun mounts that bolted to the floor of the hummers. Green was arrigant even then, I do remember seeing sapper tabs on his patrol cap, I do question the Ranger tab. I was assigned to the 1/75 RBn.back in 78/79 an was authorized to wear only with the unit unless you went to Ranger Camp on Dalohnga GA.
I was a Cadet at Missouri State with him for a few year around 1994-1995. He was a year ahead of me. He was a pompus, arrogant douche-bag back then too. He wasn’t well liked by the other cadets, and was a kiss ass to the instructors. Not surprising he eventually got busted for something. I ran into him a couple of times throughout the years. He was still a douche.
This makes me laugh…thanks…yes he was still a douche 14 years later as well.
I was also in the Missouri Guard for almost 18 years before transferring. It is still very much the “Good ol Boys” Club. I don’t every see that going away unfortunately.
Maj Fox is that you?