Specialist Toccara Green was born March 7, 1982, and raised in Rosedale, Maryland.
Green’s desire to be in the military was always evident. In high school, she was up early and stayed late to participate in her campus ROTC. She graduated in 2000 and attended Norfolk State University in Virginia, where she studied telecommunications and broadcasting. In her free time, she loved roller skating and working on cars.
She joined the Army in 2002 and was a member of the 10th Mountain Division. She and then-Specialist Nicole Coleman, met during basic training and quickly developed a friendship. They would refer to themselves as “Pinky and the Brain” or “Batman and Robin.” Specialist Green loved the Army, and would banter back and forth with her brother, a Marine, about the superiority of each branch. Her father reflected that she would get upset over the order of the flags that hung from their front yard flagpole; the Marine Corps flag on top of her 10th Mountain Division flag. She’d plead, “But Dad, I’m in ROTC for four years…That ought to account for something.” Ultimately, her brother’s tenure in the Marines outweighed her claims, and the flags remained stacked, though Green would continue to make her case to her father and brother.
To celebrate their daughter being home on leave in early August 2005, her parents held a grand backyard party for her. Over 50 friends and family attended. Her mother remarked, “She got all her favorite foods, her ice cream cake. She got to see her buddies.”
One week later, Green was back in Iraq but the tents from her party still stood in her family’s back yard. Green’s unit provided security for convoy logistics patrols traveling in western Iraq and Jordan. Operating in increasingly hostile areas, in one year alone, their convoys encountered 93 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and prevented more than 100 IEDs from detonating through early detection.
On August 14th, 2005, Green’s unit was carrying supplies in Al Asad. In a split second at a refueling stop however, several IEDs exploded near the vehicle. Green was killed in the blasts along with Sergeant James Steward. Green was 23.
Family and friends reflected that Green’s devotion to her country is what inspired her most.
“The only thing that puts my mind at ease is that she died for what she believed in,” said Garry Green Jr., her brother. “She said her ideal situation: go out fighting for our country.”
Today, a memorial on Fort Drum honors her service and sacrifice: the Specialist Toccara Green Memorial Motor Pool. Specialist Green is survived by her parents and her brother.
Specialist Toccara R. Green is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
Sources:
https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-spc-toccara-r-green/1034808
https://www.npr.org/2005/08/24/4813392/army-specialist-was-first-md-woman-killed-in-iraq
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/toccara-green-obituary?pid=14856153
Back To Blog