Major General Elder Granger

By Mike MaddoxSeptember 3, 2020

2020 Hall of Fame Inductee

Arkansas State University (1976)

Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Elder Granger (center) is keynote speaker
Brooke Army Medical Center Commander Brig. Gen. James Gilman (left) and 59th Medical Wing Commander Maj. Gen. Tom Travis (right) present gifts to Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Elder Granger (center), at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium awards and graduation ceremony June 6 in the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio auditorium. General Granger, deputy director and program executive officer of the TRICARE Management Activity, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), was the keynote speaker at the event which honored 241 physicians and allied health care providers. (U.S. Photo/Alan Boedeker) (Photo Credit: Alan Boedeker) VIEW ORIGINAL

Major General Elder Granger, a native of West Memphis, Arkansas, began his military career in 1971 as a combat medic with the Arkansas National Guard. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in zoology (Cum Laude) from Arkansas State University (ASU) and distinguished himself by receiving several recognitions while attending ASU.

After attaining his Doctor of Medicine from the University Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1980, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army and held several other leadership positions of significant importance that include Division Surgeon, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado; Commander, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany; Commander/Command Surgeon, European Regional Medical Command/7th Army, Heidelberg, Germany; Commanding General/Command Surgeon, 44th Medical Command/XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, NC and Commander, Task Force 44th Medical Command and Command Surgeon for Multinational Corps-Iraq, in Baghdad, Iraq.

He later served as the Deputy Director of TRICARE Management Activity, a Department of Defense (DoD) field activity responsible for operating the Military Health System as a fully integrated health care system within DoD. He was responsible for TRICARE health and medical resources, supervising and administering TRICARE programs, funding and other resources. Major General Granger directed a staff of more than 1,800 people and an annual Defense Health Program budget of $22.5 billion with oversight including the effective provision of high-quality, accessible health care for 9.2 million beneficiaries worldwide.

Major General Granger has received more than 30 military and community service awards including the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Man of the Year; named to Outstanding Young Men of America; the Department of Defense Superior Service Medal; U.S. Army Legion of Merit with Three Oak Leaf Clusters, and Bronze Star Medal.

About the Army ROTC Hall of Fame

The ROTC Hall of Fame was established in 2016 as part of the ROTC Centennial celebration. The first class (2016) inducted 326 former ROTC Cadets who had distinguished themselves in their military or civilian career.

The Hall of Fame honors graduates of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps who have distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits. It provides a prestigious and tangible means of recognizing and honoring Army ROTC Alumni who have made lasting, significant contributions to the Nation, the Army and the history and traditions of the Army ROTC Program.

Read more about all 16 of the 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees.