Robert Arter (born September 7, 1929) is a retired

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 ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and former commanding general of the

Sixth United States Army Sixth Army is a theater army of the United States Army. The Army service component command of United States Southern Command, its area of responsibility includes 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Central and South America and t ...

. Born and raised in

Massillon, Ohio Massillon is a city in Stark County, Ohio, Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately west of Canton, Ohio, Canton, south of Akron, and south of Cleveland. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Mass ...

, Arter graduated from Washington High School in 1946. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry from

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

in 1950 after completing a B.S. degree in personnel management. Arter later earned an M.S. degree in public administration from

Shippensburg State College Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Ship or SU) is a public university in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, it later became the first teachers college in Pennsylvania. ...

. In 1952, Arter served with the 35th Regimental Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, in Korea. From 1956 to 1960, after attending the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, he was assigned as an operations officer for the

Infantry School A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. France ...

. Upon completion of the United States Air Force Air Command and Staff College in 1962, he held numerous command and staff positions before being sent to the Republic of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. In 1968, he assumed command of the 1st Battalion, 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). He returned to Vietnam in 1971 to command the 1st Brigade,

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

. Arter was promoted to brigadier general in 1973 and became the Commanding General of the Third ROTC Region. From 1975 to 1979, he was the Deputy Commanding General, United States Training Center and

Fort Ord Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, m ...

; Assistant Division Commander, 7th Infantry Division; and Deputy Commandant, United States Army Command and General Staff College. In 1979, Arter was promoted to major general and named Commanding General,

United States Army Military District of Washington The United States Army Military District of Washington (MDW) is one of nineteen major commands of the United States Army. Its headquarters are located at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. The missions of the units in the Military Distri ...

, followed by Commanding General, United States Army Military Personnel Center. Arter's last assignment was as Commanding General, Sixth United States Army.

Awards and decorations

Gen Arter was inducted in the inaugural class of the

Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau (), commonly known as Phi Tau (), is a collegiate fraternity located in the United States. The fraternity was founded in 1906. As of November 2022, the fraternity has 161 chartered chapters, 79 active chapters, 6 Associate chapte ...

Hall of Fame and is a member of the Beta Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau's Hall of Fame at Ohio University.

Retirement

In 1991, Arter briefly held the position of Superintendent of

Wentworth Military Academy Wentworth Military Academy and College was a private two-year military college and high school in Lexington, Missouri. Wentworth was one of six total military junior colleges in the United States. The institution was founded in 1880 and closed in ...

. He served as President and CEO of the Armed Forces Bank in

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perman ...

for a number of years and remains as a member of the board. In February 2006, he was named as a civilian aide to the

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

for Kansas. In addition, Arter serves on the Governor’s Military Council for the state of Kansas."Governor’s Military Council will strengthen Kansas military installations"
News Release, Office of the Governor of Kansas. (URL accessed May 5, 2006).

References

External links

Phi Kappa Tau. {{DEFAULTSORT:Arter, Robert 1929 births Living people People from Massillon, Ohio Ohio University alumni United States Army personnel of the Korean War Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Presidents of Wentworth Military Academy and College People from Leavenworth County, Kansas