Maj. Gen. Gary Harrell was deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, a position he moved into from his previous role as commander-in-chief of Special Operations Command Central. Commissioned through the Army ROTC program at East Tennessee State University in 1973, he led a Special Forces A-team in Panama and commanded an airborne rifle company in the 82nd Airborne Division. Harrell served in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm. He was wounded by mortar fire in 1993 as part of Task Force Ranger in Somalia, where he was the overall ground commander during the firefight portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down.
Harrell retired in March 2008 after 34 years in the army, most of it served within Special Operations. At his retirement ceremony, he was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal, a Certificate of Retirement and a Certificate of Appreciation signed by President George W. Bush.
Last updated: December 15, 2008.
