Major General Harold Greene Summary

Zephorah Bissoon
September 1, 2014
Inquiry Skills/ Period 7
Topic Summary
Major General Harold Greene was killed by an Afghan soldier at an army camp where he was on a routine trip to the Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul to look at developments the school had implemented. Major General Harold Greene was a leader in the training division and an expert in infrastructure and logistics. The shooter wore an Afghan military uniform and is suspected to have served much time in the Afghanistan military. The Afghan soldier shot at Major General Harold Greene and fifteen other coalition troops who were wounded in the attack while unfortunately, Major General Harold Greene was the only soldier to die. The shooter was located by a bodyguard

The military’s presence frightened them and upset them to the point where the shooter retaliated by going on a shooting rampage. The defendant felt protective of his home country and decided to try to drive out the American military in a violent manner. The defendant could also have been insane or mentally ill causing him to snap in the most unfortunate way. Just as animals are threatened by others on their territory this man could have been threatened and decided to get rid of the “threats.” This man could have also been ignorant to change and was displeased with the US-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement in which he decided to voice his opinion with a gun rather than words. Although his actions cost a life and many wounds the defendant could have had valid reasons for his vicious shooting rampage that we do not and maybe even cannot

The most prominent feeling among them is most likely fear. This incident could have raised awareness about the instability in the military and the discomfort of the Afghan people. The effect this incident could have had is fear of the Afghan people lashing out and targeting the US military just as one did in this incident. On the other hand, they could also feel anger and purpose. They could feel anger towards the Afghan people for shooting the General and could also feel purpose to continue on and work harder, faster to withdraw out of Afghanistan. There are many possible effects this incident could have had on the American soldiers but I think it mostly brought about the fear of instability within the military and fear of the brazenness of this forceful attack. The anger of a higher ranking senior official dying in combat for the first time since the Vietnam War could also have an effect on them due to the incident.
Citations
1. Sciutto, Jim, Catherine E. Shoichet, and Ashley Fantz. "U.S. General Killed in Afghanistan; Gunman Shot from 100 Yards, Officials Say." CNN World. CNN, 8 Aug. 2014. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/05/world/asia/afghanistan-violence/>.
2. "Body of Killed US General Returns." BBC News. BBC, 7 Aug. 2014. Web. 01 Sept. 2014.