---
title: "Hilton Head, S.C., to honor retired Army chaplain chief Oct. 10"
url: https://www.herehiltonhead.com/2026/10/08/hilton-head-bill-green-day-chief-of-chaplains-oct-10/
date: 2026-10-08T05:25:09-04:00
modified: 2026-10-08T05:25:09-04:00
author: "F. Fiona Pinckney"
categories: ["Events"]
site: "HERE Hilton Head"
attribution: "HERE Hilton Head"
---

# Hilton Head, S.C., to honor retired Army chaplain chief Oct. 10

*Source: [HERE Hilton Head](https://www.herehiltonhead.com/2026/10/08/hilton-head-bill-green-day-chief-of-chaplains-oct-10/) — October 8, 2026 by F. Fiona Pinckney*

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Hilton Head, S.C., will celebrate one of its own on Saturday, Oct. 10, when the community gathers to honor retired Army Chaplain (Major General) William Bill Green Jr., who served as the 26th Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Army.

The public recognition ceremony begins at 1 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, on Hilton Head Island. A community reception will follow, and the public is invited to both.

Green was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised on Hilton Head Island, with deep roots in his Gullah Geechee family heritage. He is a graduate of the former H.E. McCracken High School in Bluffton. He retired on Aug. 1, 2026, after more than three decades of service, during which he provided spiritual guidance to soldiers, families and Army civilians around the world and supported religious freedom throughout the Army.

The program carries the theme From General Mitchel to General Green, tracing more than 160 years of history. Civil War Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel’s leadership led to the 1862 founding of the Town of Mitchelville on Hilton Head Island, which organizers describe as the nation’s first self-governed community of formerly enslaved people. Green is a descendant of Mitchelville.

Plans call for the Town of Hilton Head Island to present a proclamation declaring Oct. 10 as Chaplain (Major General) William Bill Green Jr. Day. The Town of Bluffton will present its own proclamation, the island’s historic churches will offer a joint proclamation honoring his ministry, and military honors will recognize his service. Clergy, elected officials, classmates, mentors, veterans and family members are expected to offer tributes.

Organizers also plan to announce a scholarship in Green’s name at the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, which is accepting donations.