Gary L. Harrell
Gary L. Harrell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 1, 1951 Jonesborough, Tennessee,U.S. |
| Died | February 14, 2023(aged 71) Johnson City, Tennessee,U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1973–2008 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | Special Operations Command Central Special Forces Task Force Bowie Delta Force |
| Battles/wars | United States invasion of Panama United States invasion of Grenada Gulf War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal(2) Bronze Star Medal(2) Purple Heart |
Major GeneralGary Lynn Harrell(June 1, 1951 – February 14, 2023) was aUnited States Armygeneral.He participated in numerous combat operations includingOperation Just Causein 1989, theBattle of Mogadishuin 1993, and the wars inIraqandAfghanistan.
Military career
[edit]Harrell earned hiscommissionas anInfantryofficer throughEast Tennessee State University's ArmyROTCprogram in 1973 and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion,508th Infantry Regiment,82nd Airborne Division,as a rifleplatoon leaderand as ananti-tankplatoon leader. In 1977, after completing theSpecial ForcesQualification Course, he was assigned to the7th Special Forces Group.In 1980 Harrell served as acompany commanderin the 1st Battalion,505th Infantry Regiment,82nd Airborne Division. Harrell participated in theinvasion of Grenadaand afterwards served with the10th Special Forces Group.In 1985 Harrell volunteered for and completed a specialized selection and operator training course for assignment to the Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta, publicly known asDelta Force,atFort Bragg.[1]He served at this unit as Troop Commander and participated inOperation Just Cause.Later on Harrell was assigned to theJoint Special Operations Commandas operations officer and participated inOperations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.[2]
In 1992, Harrell returned to Fort Bragg and took command of C Squadron of Delta Force and participated in combat operations duringOperation Gothic Serpentincluding theBattle of Mogadishu.In October 1993 he was severely wounded by enemy mortar fire. After graduating from theUnited States Army War College,Carlisle Barracks,Pennsylvania,in June 1995, Harrell was assigned as the Deputy Commander ofDelta Forceand commanded the unit from July 1998 to July 2000.[3]Afterwards he was appointed the Director, Joint Security Directorate,United States Central Commandfrom 2000 to 2002. During theWar in Afghanistan,he commanded Special Forces Task Force Bowie and was the Assistant Division Commander for the10th Mountain DivisionduringOperation Anaconda.From 2003 to 2005 Harrell was assigned as commanding general,Special Operations Command Central.DuringOperation Iraqi Freedom,Harrell commanded special operations forces that were responsible for combat operations to preventScudmissiles from being launched from Western Iraq and for stability operations in Northern Iraq. He last served as the Deputy Commanding General of theArmy Special Operations Command.He retired in 2008.
Death
[edit]Harrell died fromglioblastomaon February 14, 2023, at the age of 71.[4][5][6]
Awards and decorations
[edit]
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Combat Infantryman Badge |
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MasterParachutist Badgewith one Combat Jump Device |
 
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Military Freefall Jumpmaster BadgewithSpecial Operations Command Centralbackground trimming |
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Pathfinder Badge |
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Scuba Diver Insignia |
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Canadian Jump Wings (non-operational) |
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Special Forces Tab |
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Ranger tab |
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United States Army Special Operations CommandCombat Service Identification Badge |
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Special ForcesDistinctive Unit Insignia |
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Overseas Service Bars |
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Defense Distinguished Service Medal |
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Army Distinguished Service Medal |
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Defense Superior Service Medalwith one bronzeoak leaf cluster |
 
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Bronze Star MedalwithValor deviceand oak leaf cluster |
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Purple Heart |
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Defense Meritorious Service Medal |
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Meritorious Service Medalwith oak leaf cluster |
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Air Medal |
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Army Commendation Medalwith two oak leaf clusters |
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Joint Service Achievement Medal |
 |
Joint Meritorious Unit Awardwith oak leaf cluster |
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Valorous Unit Awardwith oak leaf cluster |
 
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National Defense Service Medalwith two bronzeservice stars |
 
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Armed Forces Expeditionary MedalwithArrowhead deviceand service star |
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Southwest Asia Service Medalwith service star |
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Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal |
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Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
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Humanitarian Service Medal |
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Army Service Ribbon |
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Army Overseas Service Ribbon |
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NATO Medalfor the former Yugoslavia |
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Multinational Force and Observers Medal |
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Kuwait Liberation Medal(Saudi Arabia) |
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Kuwait Liberation Medal(Kuwait) |
References
[edit]- ^Change of Command Ceremony 10 July 1998(PDF),June 30, 2021
- ^MG Gary HarrellArchived2017-03-17 at theWayback Machine,.Task Force Dagger Foundation.
- ^Sean Naylor,SEAL Team 6 and a Man Left for Dead: A Grainy Picture of Valor,The New York Times,August 27, 2016.
- ^"ETSU community mourns loss of Major General Gary Harrell".WCYB.Johnson City, TN. 2023-02-14.Retrieved2023-02-14.
- ^Prine, Carl (February 14, 2023)."Delta Force Legend Gary Harrell Dies in Tennessee".coffeeordie.com.RetrievedFebruary 15,2023.
- ^Memorial Service,February 19, 2023
Sources
[edit]- Boykin, William G., and Lynn Vincent. Never Surrender: a Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom. Faith Words, 2011.ISBN978-0446583220
- Tucker, Spencer. The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: the United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts. ABC-CLIO, 2010.ISBN978-1851099474
- 1951 births
- 2023 deaths
- Battle of Mogadishu (1993)
- Delta Force
- East Tennessee State University alumni
- Members of the United States Army Special Forces
- Military personnel from Tennessee
- People from Jonesborough, Tennessee
- United States Army personnel of the Iraq War
- United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- United States Army generals
- Deaths from glioblastoma