Jay M. Garner -A Past Commanding General at Fort Bliss, Texas

Born in Arcadia, Florida, Garner served an enlistment in the United States Marine Corps before attending the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a B.A. degree in political science in 1962. He also holds a Master's in public administration from Harvard University. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1962, Garner served two tours in Vietnam, and later led two air defense units in Germany. He also served as deputy commanding general at Fort Bliss, Texas. Garner helped to develop the Patriot missile system and commanded missile batteries during the Gulf War. After the war he was put in charge of securing Kurdish areas in Iraq. He was later named commander of the U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command (working primarily on President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative missile shield program), and concluded his Army career as Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, retiring in 1997 at the rank of lieutenant general. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Garner

Area: Northeast / Ft. Bliss

Source: El Paso County Historical Society

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History