Ralph E. Haines Jr.

Ralph E. Haines Jr.
Haines as Commander, U.S. Army, Pacific
Born	(1913-08-21)August 21, 1913 Fort Mott, New Jersey
Died	San Antonio, Texas
Place of burial	Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1935–1973
Rank	General
Commands held	Continental Army Command U.S. Army, Pacific III Corps 1st Armored Division
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star

Haines in February 2010.

Ralph Edward Haines Jr. (August 21, 1913 – November 23, 2011) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1968, Commander, U.S. Army, Pacific from August 1968 to October 1970, and Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), from 1970 to 1973. General Haines was the last commander of the Continental Army. George Washington was the first. 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. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1935 with a commission in the Infantry. 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.

Major commands for Haines included Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas, from 1962 to 1963. From 1965 to 1967, he commanded the III Corps there. After his Hawaiian command, he served as Commanding General, Continental Army Command, at Fort Monroe, Virginia until his retirement on January 31, 1973.

Other important assignments for Haines were Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development in Washington from 1963 to 1965. Immediately before his Hawaiian command he was successively Acting Vice Chief of Staff and then Vice Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army. General Haines' awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star.

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 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.

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

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "United States Army, Pacific - History of General Ralph E. Haines Jr.".

External links

• Ralph E. Haines Jr. at Find a Grave

Military offices
Preceded by Gen. Creighton Abrams	Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army 1967–1968	Succeeded by Gen. Bruce Palmer Jr.