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Little did Brother Copeland know that a spirit of failure had haunted Greg Green for the better part of his life. But through those words, God had confirmed for Greg that He had removed that spirit of failure and replaced it with His abundant favor.
“Being a Partner and new spiritual son to Kenneth and Gloria Copeland has helped shape the destiny God has ordained for my wife and me in our life, marriage and ministry,” said Greg. “We consider it an honor and privilege to be connected with Kenneth Copeland Ministries. We realize that through this partnership, the blessings, the anointing and the grace that is on their lives is being imparted to us.”
In recent years, Greg has come to better understand his father, and why those words spoken many years ago seemed more critical than encouraging. It began in 2012, when his 15-year-old son, Aaron, and 12-year-old daughter, Desiree, started asking questions about their grandfather.
When Greg, Mandy and the children visited James Green’s gravesite, which is only about 10 minutes from their home in Baker, La., Greg was surprised at what he saw engraved on the headstone: James W. Green Jr., Cpl., U.S. Marines.
“I knew my father had served in the military, but I did not know he was a Marine,” said Greg. “His military service was just something he never talked about.”
Driven to the Internet to do further research, Greg and Mandy soon learned that, as part of an elite, all-black military platoon known as the Montford Point Marines, James W. Green was a war hero. According to historical records, this group of men not only played a significant role in the integration of the Marines, but was very instrumental in fighting the war.
From 1942 to 1949, over 20,000 men received basic training at the segregated Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, N.C. Most black units served as support or guard units, but some, like James Green’s Platoon 279, saw actual combat. Unlike the famed Tuskegee Airmen or the Buffalo Soldiers, however, the historic actions of the Montford Point Marines had gone unnoticed and not made public until June 2012, when the group was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
In October 2013, on what would have been James Green’s 97th birthday, Ruby Green accepted the medal, in honor of her husband and on behalf of her family, during a special ceremony that was held in Louisiana.
Today, Greg Green looks back on that day, and the years leading up to it, not only with a sense of pride in his father, but also a better understanding of his own life. “I am so thankful to the Lord for His grace and favor, which have established an outpouring of restoration in our lives.
“I salute my father today,” says Greg. “I honor him, and I thank God for him and for the rich legacy that was left to our family. Three cheers for ‘Penu’ Green.” V
BVOV : 21
