Photo courtesy
US Army |
SMA William G. Bainbridge, 5th SMA, passes
The Center for
Advanced of Studies of the United States Army Noncommissioned
Officer is sad to have learned of
the passing of the 5th
Sergeant Major of the Army SMA (Ret.) William G. Bainbridge
on Saturday the 29th
of November 2008. He
served as Sergeant Major of the Army between July 1975 to June 1979.
Bainbridge
was at the time the longest serving incumbent
of the position of Sergeant Major of the Army
and a much respected noncommissioned officer.
A veteran
of two wars, Bainbridge was a former World War
II POW.
He was the
father of a number of firsts, including the
first Command Sergeant Major of the US Army
Sergeants Major Academy, the first to wear a
newly designed rank and the only to have
authored a book based on his life story. His
is the namesake of the Association of the
United States Army's prestigious Bainbridge
Award for enlisted soldiers. |
Among the accomplishments during his term as Sergeant Major of the
Army, SMA Bainbridge felt proudest of securing permanent funding
for the Noncommissioned Officer Education System. Next he valued
his work on the Army Policy Council, to which General Frederick
C. Weyand had appointed him. In keeping with his feeling that
the duties of the Office of Sergeant Major of the Army were best
carried out by working with the appropriate action and staff
officers, SMA Bainbridge was instrumental in having senior NCOs
placed on the general staff to which he himself was appointed by
General Bernard Rogers.
|
In
Memorium, Dr. Robert Bouilly, USASMA
Historian, Dec 3, 2008. |
Announcements:
Selected Awards and Decorations:
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal
Army Commendation Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-North African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Prisoner of War Medal
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
Official Biography and photo of SMA William G. Bainbridge:
Courtesy Association of the United States Army
Photographs:
Bainbridge in Vietnam
Oral
History interview of SMA William G. Bainbridge:
Oral Interview, Center of Military History, US Army
Life and Times of SMA William G. Bainbridge:
History and military career
of William Bainbridge, Center of Military History, US Army
Articles and book by and of SMA
William G. Bainbridge:
"First, and Getting Firster."
ARMY (October 1975): 23-24.
"Quality, Training and
Motivation." ARMY (October 1976): 27-29.
"The Professional." DA Pam
360-832, Commanders Call (March-April
1977): 3-5.
"Today's Volunteer Is a
Quality Soldier." ARMY (October 1977):
28-30.
"How Fair Is the Centralized
Enlisted Promotion System?" DA Pam 360-838,
Commanders Call (March-April 1978): 5.
"We Have Met the Challenge."
ARMY (October 1978): 26-28.
Carney, Larry. "Bainbridge
Hailed as NCO
Leader." Army Times, 2 July 1979, p. 16.
覧覧. "New SMA Opposes O'seas Kin Cuts." Army Times,
23 July 1979, p. 5.
覧覧. "New SMA Outlines
Priorities for His
Term." Army
Times,
27 June 1983,
p. 16.
覧覧. "Our
Business
Is
Soldiers,
Says
Departing SMA." Army Times, 4 July 1983, p. 2.
Cragg, Dan. "Where Are They Now? SMA
William G.
Bainbridge." Army Times, 1 August
1983, p. 14.
Top Sergeant: The Life and
Times of Sergeant Major of the Army William G.
Bainbridge. SMA (Ret.) William G. Bainbridge
and Dan Cragg. New York, Ny: Ballantine, 1995.
Books by SMA William G. Bainbridge:
Top Sergeant
Bainbridge grew up in Illinois and volunteered
for the draft when he graduated from high school in 1943. He
ended his military career in 1979 as Sergeant Major of the Army, the highest enlisted grade. His memoir, written with Cragg
(The Soldier's Prize), reflects the stereotypical values of
rural America: hard work, discipline and self-confidence.
Bainbridge was a citizen soldier, deciding to make the army his
career only when recall for duty in the Korean War ended his
chances to become a farmer. While he proved himself in combat,
his career also highlights the complex, tripartite role of
senior NCOs as fighters, administrators and advisers to the
officers. Bainbridge consistently sought input from
subordinates. Just as consistently, he told superiors the truth
as he saw it, but with enough tact to keep his stripes and add to
them. This is the story of a man who served both his country and
himself well.
Selected
Quotes by SMA William G. Bainbridge:
-
Back at
headquarters is where you solve the biggest problems and prepare
yourself to tackle still others, but the best study of
soldiering is soldiers themselves, and you cannot do that
sitting behind a desk.... It was important, I thought, that
besides visiting the troop units we also get to what I call the
"two-four-sixes," the detachments of only two people here or
four there or six over that way.
-
Soldiers can solve 98
percent of their problems by just talking to someone about them.
All you have to do is listen.
-
A pat on the back-
applied at the proper moment in the circumstances- can have a
dramatic influence in developing a leader.
-
Regardless of the kind of unit you池e in,
it ought to be an "elite" outfit, because its NCOs can make it
one.
-
Citizens everywhere, and especially
soldiers, should remember that entrenched bureaucracy, whatever
the level, can be overcome.... You致e got to stick to it, be
polite but firm, and just not take no for an answer.
-
There are too many good things in this life
to ruin it by dwelling on the bad ones....You can take a lot of
punishment if you learn not to complain about the little stuff.
-
The core of a soldier is moral discipline.
It is intertwined with the discipline of physical and mental
achievement. It motivates doing on your own what is right
without prodding.... It is an inner critic that refuses to
tolerate less than your best....Total discipline overcomes
adversity, and physical stamina draws on an inner strength that
says "drive on."
