David L. Grange

David L. Grange
Major General David L. Grange
Born	January 29, 1947(1947-01-29)
Place of birth	Long Island, New York
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1970—1999
Rank	Major General
Unit	Delta Force
Commands held	75th Ranger Regiment 1st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Operation Eagle Claw Invasion of Grenada Gulf War Yugoslav wars
Awards	Silver Star (3) Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2)
Relations	LTG David E. Grange, Jr. (father)
Other work	Chief Executive Officer of Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD)

David L. Grange is a retired United States Army Brigadier General. He served with the 101st Airborne during the Vietnam War. He was later assigned to Delta Force, commanding a squadron during the invasion of Grenada and was deputy commander during the Gulf War. His last command was of 1st Infantry Division before he retired in 1999.

Early life

Born on December 29, 1947, in Long Island, New York, Grange was the son of retired Lieutenant General David E. Grange, Jr.. He graduated from North Georgia College in 1970 with a bachelor of science degree and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry. Grange later earned a master’s degree in public service from Western Kentucky University.

Military career

Grange first saw significant combat action as a second lieutenant assigned to the 101st Airborne's "Lima" Ranger company in the I Corps Province of Vietnam in 1971. This unit was part of the 75th Infantry (Ranger) and attached to the 2/17th Cavalry. As a first lieutenant in 1972, Grange was an adviser to the Vietnamese Airborne Division. He commanded C Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, which supported Operation Eagle Claw in 1980. In 1982, he was assigned to Delta Force. He commanded a squadron during Operation Urgent Fury the Invasion of Grenada.

Grange volunteered for service in Korea in 1987 and commanded the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division. He served as a special-operations officer in Special Operations Command in Washington, D.C., then as deputy commander of the 1st SFOD-D Delta Force, in which job he commanded a task force during Desert Storm.

From 1991 to 1993, he commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment. He then served as deputy commanding officer of United States Army Special Operations Command. After his selection as a general officer, he served as both ADC for support and maneuver in the 3rd Infantry Division at Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany.

In 1997, Grange returned to Germany and took command of the 1st Infantry Division and Task Force Eagle in Bosnia, where he was responsible for U.S. forces and operations in Macedonia and Kosovo during the Yugoslav civil wars. In 1999, Grange relinquished command of the 1st ID to John Abizaid and retired from active duty.

Later life

In December 1999, Grange published a critique of the Army's obsolete way of measuring unit readiness in the Armed Forces Journal. He later served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the McCormick Foundation in Chicago. In September 2005, Grange became the foundation's President and Chief Executive Officer. In May 2009, Grange became Chief Executive Officer of PPD LLC, a Contract Research Organization based in North Carolina. [1] Grange retired as CEO of PPD in May 2011. [2]

Awards and decorations

BG Grange has been decorated for service, to include:

• Iran Basic Airborne Wings
• 75th Ranger Regiment DUI