Ralph Edward Haines Jr. (August 21, 1913 – November 23, 2011) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

four-star general A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the Ranks and insignia of NATO, NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general ...

who served as

Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army The vice chief of staff of the Army (VCSA) is the principal deputy to the chief of staff of the Army, and is the second-highest-ranking officer on active duty in the Department of the Army. The vice chief of staff generally handles the day-to-d ...

from 1967 to 1968, Commander,

United States Army, Pacific The United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) designated by the Secretary of the Army (SECARMY); it may also serve as a Joint Task Force headquarters. It is the army component unit of the United States Indo ...

from August 1968 to October 1970, and Commanding General, United States Continental Army Command from 1970 to 1973. At his death he was the army's oldest living four-star general and its senior retired officer.

Military career

Haines attended Texas Military Institute and graduated in 1930 as his class valedictorian.Texas Military Institute bio
He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1935 with a commission in the Cavalry. He later attended the

Armed Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multina ...

, the Army War College, the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

and the Army Management School. Prior to World War II he served in the

Philippine Scouts The Philippine Scouts (Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'' or ''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos an ...

and, during the war, he served in Italy. Haines served as Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division at

Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters ...

, Texas, from 1962 to 1963. He served as Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development in Washington from 1963 to 1965. From 1965 to 1967, he commanded the III Corps. He was successively Acting Vice Chief of Staff and then Vice Chief of Staff for the United States Army and during this period he commanded the army forces assisting the suppression of the 1968 Washington, D.C. riots. He then served as Commanding General, Continental Army Command, at

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

, Virginia, until his retirement on January 31, 1973. Haines' awards include the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

, and the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Post military career

The Ralph E. Haines Jr. Award, presented to the United States Army Reserve Drill Sergeant of the Year, is named in his honor. Haines was member of the Advisory Committee of the U.S. Cavalry Association. He retired to

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, with his wife, the former Sally Swift, who died in 2003. Haines had two sons, both West Point alumni. One son, Palmer Swift Haines, died in an aircraft crash in 2004 when the

Cessna 421 The Cessna 421 Golden Eagle is an American six or seven seat twin-engined light transport aircraft, developed in the 1960s by Cessna as a pressurized version of the earlier Cessna 411. Development The Cessna 421 was first produced in May 196 ...

he was piloting suffered dual engine failure near

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. Haines died in November 2011 at the

San Antonio Military Medical Center Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) is the United States Army's premier medical institution. Located on Fort Sam Houston, BAMC, a 425-bed Academic Medical Center, is the Department of Defense's largest facility and only Level 1 Trauma Center. BAMC ...

of natural causes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haines, Ralph E. Jr. 1913 births 2011 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals United States Army Vice Chiefs of Staff United States Army War College alumni United States Military Academy alumni TMI Episcopal alumni Joint Forces Staff College alumni National War College alumni