Military Service
World War II first brought Greene to Mississippi. In a 1962 interview with his hometown paper, he recounted the experience, “With my new [master’s] degree in business administration, I was all set for a fine desk job, but Uncle Sam put me in the infantry and shipped me to Camp Shelby.” His high school football injury was re-injured in training. Unable to serve in combat as a result, he was discharged on Thanksgiving Day in 1943. “I had heard about a small college on the outskirts of Hattiesburg, but had not seen it, nor ever expected to see it,” he continued. “As the train pulled out, I solemnly swore I’d never set foot in Mississippi again, as long as I lived.”