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

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

four-star 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 United States Army, chief of staff of the Army, and is the second-highest-ranking officer on active duty in the United States Department of the Army, ...

from 1967 to 1968, Commander, United States Army, Pacific 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 in 1935 with a commission in the

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

. He later attended the Armed Forces Staff College, the Army War College, the National War College and the Army Management School. Prior to World War II he served in the Philippine Scouts and, during the war, he served in Italy. Haines served as Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood, 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, Virginia, until his retirement on 31 January 1973. Haines' awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

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 San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, 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 he was piloting suffered dual engine failure near

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. Haines died in November 2011 at the San Antonio Military Medical Center of natural causes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haines, Ralph E. Jr. 1913 births 2011 deaths Military personnel from New Jersey 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