Raymond W. Carpenter (born 1948) is a retired

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

who served as acting Director of the Army National Guard.

Early life and education

Raymond W. Carpenter was born in

Sturgis, South Dakota Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 7,020 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Meade County and is named after Samuel D. Sturgis, a Union general during the Civil War. Sturgis is notabl ...

in 1948, and graduated from Sturgis Brown High School in 1966. In 1967 he joined the South Dakota Army National Guard as a member of the 109th Engineer Battalion. In 1975 Carpenter completed a

Bachelor of Business Administration Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...

degree in Business at

Black Hills State University Black Hills State University (BHSU) is a public university in Spearfish, South Dakota. Close to 4,000 students attend classes at its campus in Spearfish, at sites in Rapid City and Pierre, and through distance offerings. Enrollment comes from ...

. He received a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

degree from the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship uni ...

in 1994. Carpenter is a graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, and the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

. He is also a 1997 graduate of the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

Vietnam War

Carpenter transferred to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, was trained as a

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

linguist at the

Defense Language Institute The Defense Language Institute (DLI) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) educational and research institution consisting of two separate entities which provide linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other f ...

, and served at the Naval Support Facility in Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam.

Post-Vietnam War

Upon returning to the United States, Carpenter continued his service in the South Dakota Army National Guard, receiving his commission as a second lieutenant of

Engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the ...

in 1974. He carried out several assignments in the 842nd Engineer Company, and commanded the company from 1978 to 1982. He continued to advance in positions of more rank and responsibility, including executive officer of Task Force Rushmore, a 5,000 soldier organization which was sent to

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

on a humanitarian mission in 1993 and built 27 kilometers of road while rebuilding 10 schools and 14 clinics. He then commanded the 109th Engineer Battalion from 1993 to 1995. After serving as director of personnel and director of human resources for the South Dakota Army National Guard, Carpenter commanded the 109th Engineer Group from 1998 to 1999. After serving as the South Dakota Army National Guard’s chief of staff from 2000 to 2003, Carpenter was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and assigned as the organization’s assistant adjutant general – Army. From 2004 to 2006, Carpenter simultaneously served as deputy commander of the Maneuver Support Center at

Fort Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of The City of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard W ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

National Guard Bureau

In April, 2006 Carpenter was assigned as special assistant to the director of the Army National Guard at the National Guard Bureau. He was promoted to major general in December 2006. In April, 2009 he was assigned as acting Deputy Director of the Army National Guard. In May, 2009 Carpenter became acting Director of the Army National Guard, following the retirement of Clyde A. Vaughn. Timothy J. Kadavy succeeded Carpenter as Deputy Director. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

did not act on the nomination of the individual named to succeed Vaughn, Joseph Taluto, who retired in 2010. As a result, Carpenter continued to serve as acting director until he retired in November 2011. He was succeeded by

William E. Ingram, Jr. Lieutenant General William E. Ingram Jr. (born January 21, 1948) is a retired United States Army officer who served as the Director of the Army National Guard. He was the 20th individual and the third three-star general to lead the Army National ...

Civilian career

In November 2021, Carpenter became a civilian aide to the

United States 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 ...

Awards and decorations

Other awards

Carpenter is a 1999 recipient of the Silver

De Fleury Medal The De Fleury Medal, an award of the US Army Engineer Association, was named in honor of François-Louis Teissèdre de Fleury, a French Engineer in the Continental Army. In the late 1980s, as the Corps of Engineers implemented the U.S. Army R ...

from the Army Engineer Association. In 2012 he received the Raymond S. McLain Medal from the

Association of the United States Army The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is a private, non-profit organization that serves as the professional association of the United States Army. Founded in 1950, it has 121 chapters worldwide. Membership is open to everyone, not ju ...

.Association of the United States Army, National Awards
Biographical sketch, Maj. Gen. Raymond W. Carpenter
2012

Chronological list of officer assignments

#July 1974 - August 1974, Platoon Leader, Detachment 1, 842d Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard,

Belle Fourche, South Dakota Belle Fourche (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. Its population was 5,617 at the 2020 census. It is near the geographic center of the United States, which moved some 550 miles northwest from the ...

#August 1974 - October 1974, Student, Engineer School, Engineer Officer Basic Course,

Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Fairfax family for whom Fai ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

#October 1974 - June 1976, Platoon Leader, Detachment 1, 842d Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard, Belle Fourche, South Dakota #July 1976 - October 1978, Platoon Leader, Detachment 3, 842d Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard,

Deadwood, South Dakota Deadwood (Lakota: ''Owáyasuta''; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had it ...

#November 1978 - July 1982, Company Commander, 842d Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard,

Spearfish, South Dakota Spearfish ( Lakota: ''Hočhápȟe'') is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota. The population was 12,193 at the time of the 2020 census. History Before the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1876, the area was used by Native Americans (primarily bands ...

#August 1982 - April 1985, S-4, Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 109th Engineer Battalion, South Dakota Army National Guard,

#April 1985 - July 1986, Executive Officer, Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 109th Engineer Battalion, South Dakota Army National Guard, Sturgis, South Dakota #August 1986 - August 1987, S-3, Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 109th Engineer Battalion, South Dakota Army National Guard, Sturgis, South Dakota #September 1987 - December 1989, Executive Officer, Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 109th Engineer Battalion, South Dakota Army National Guard, Sturgis, South Dakota #January 1990 - August 1991, Chief Internal Review, Headquarters, State Area Command, South Dakota Army National Guard,

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

#August 1991 - September 1993, Facilities Management Officer, Headquarters, State Area Command, South Dakota Army National Guard, Rapid City, South Dakota #September 1993 - June 1995, Battalion Commander, Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 109th Engineer Battalion, South Dakota Army National Guard, Sturgis, South Dakota #July 1995 - June 1996, Director of Personnel, Headquarters, State Area Command, South Dakota Army National Guard, Rapid City, South Dakota #June 1996 - June 1997, Student, United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

#June 1997 - May 1998, Director of Human Resources, Headquarters, State Area Command, South Dakota Army National Guard Rapid City, South Dakota #May 1998 - June 1999, Group Commander, Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 109th Engineer Group, South Dakota Army National Guard, Rapid City, South Dakota #July 1999 - January 2000, Director of Plans, Operations and Training, Headquarters State Area Command, South Dakota National Guard, Rapid City, South Dakota #February 2000 - March 2003, Chief of Staff, Headquarters, State Area Command, South Dakota Army National Guard, Rapid City, South Dakota #April 2003 - April 2006, Assistant Adjutant General, South Dakota Army National Guard, Rapid City, South Dakota #September 2004 - April 2006, Dual-hatted as the Deputy Commanding General, Maneuver Support Center, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri #April 2006 - April 2009, Special Assistant to the Director of the Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau,

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

#April 2009 - May 2009, Acting Deputy Director, Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia #May 2009 - November 2011, Acting Director, Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia

Effective dates of promotions

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

, December 9, 2006 *

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, April 1, 2003 *

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

, July 1, 1995 * Lieutenant Colonel, October 1, 1990 * Major, April 26, 1985 * Captain, July 28, 1979 *

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

, July 28, 1977 * Second Lieutenant, July 29, 1974

References

External resources

Raymond W. Carpenter
a
National Guard Bureau General Officer Management Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Raymond W. Living people 1948 births People from Rapid City, South Dakota United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Black Hills State University alumni University of South Dakota alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals National Guard (United States) generals People from Sturgis, South Dakota United States Navy sailors