A pair of events honor a fallen officer
The Enterprise — Elizabeth Floyd Mair
Harold F. Greene, at right, greets neighbor Dean Bliven during a flag-planting ceremony last Friday at the Greene home in honor of his son, Major General Harold J. Greene. It was the third anniversary of the major general’s death in Afghanistan.
GUILDERLAND — Two events last week honored Major General Harold J. Greene of Guilderland, who was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 5, 2014.
On Thursday, the town held a memorial ceremony at Town Hall that marked the presentation of the road signs that have now been placed on Route 146 in honor of Greene, near Route 20 and near Ostrander Road.
Town Supervisor Peter Barber said at the event that he hoped the signs will last for generations to come and will cause people, “while they’re doing something mundane like driving,” to pause and remember all those who have been killed while serving their country.
On Friday, the American Legion Riders from Helderberg Post 977 stopped by the home where Greene grew up and where his father, Harold F. Greene, still lives, to offer condolences to the family and place flags on the perimeter of the lawn. This is a tradition that the group does of its own accord every year on the anniversary of Greene’s death.
“But it’s not just Harry,” said Jon Greene, the major general’s younger brother. The American Legion Riders do the same thing for the other fallen military members from the area: Lieutenant Colonel Todd Clark, Specialist Rafael Nieves Jr., and First Lieutenant Lanny Ladouceur, he said.
“It means a lot to my dad, to have them come by every year,” Jon Greene said.
