ETSU graduate Maj. Gen. Gary Harrell has been inducted into the Army ROTC National Hall of Fame.
Harrell is the fourth ETSU Army ROTC Program alumnus to be inducted into the Cadet Command’s Hall of Fame, as well as one of 11 officers from the program to achieve the rank of Army General Officer. He was given a special ceremony to recognize his military career.
Twenty-two other inductees were selected for the hall of fame for 2020. The hall of fame is for former ROTC cadets who have distinguished themselves in their military or civilian careers.
While a student at ETSU, Harrell represented the football team and was a member of the Grantland Rice Bowl Championship team in 1969. He earned his degree in industrial technology from ETSU in 1973.
In 1977 Harrell earned a Green Beret and was assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group. His assignments over the next 35 years supported the 82nd Airborne Division, the 7th Special Forces and Delta Force, and he commanded operations in Panama, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
In Somalia, while deployed for United Nations relief efforts, he commanded combat operations that were depicted in the book and film “Black Hawk Down”. In Panama with Delta Force, he was part of the successful hostage rescue of U.S. citizen Kurt Muse who was held captive in Modelo Prison. In Columbia, he led forces against Pablo Escobar, an operation that later culminated in Escobar’s death.
Later assigned to Joint Special Operations Command for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Harrell was responsible for the protection of U.S. forces in 25 nations surrounding the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. After the attack on the USS Cole, he deployed to Yemen where he provided safety for the surviving crewmembers and investigators during the post explosion investigation.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Harrell served as the assistant division commander for the 10th Mountain Division during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan. He also commanded the largest special operations forces assembled since World War II during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2005, he was responsible for NATO forces taking operation control of Afghanistan.
Harrell is a member of the ETSU Foundation Board and also an inductee of the College of Business and Technology Hall of Fame.
The ETSU Army ROTC Program has commissioned more than 1,500 officers since 1953.
For more information, visit etsu.edu/rotc.
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