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First Name: William

Last Name: Bainbridge

Birthplace: Galesburg, IL, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Army (1784 - present)



Middle Name: G.



Date of Birth: 17 April 1925

Date of Death: 29 November 2008

Rank: Sergeant Major of the Army

Years Served: 1943–1945, 1951-1979
William G. Bainbridge

   
Engagements:
•  World War II (1941 - 1945)
•  Vietnam War (1960 - 1973)

Biography:

William G. Bainbridge
5th Sergeant Major of the Army

William G. Bainbridge was born in Galesburg, IL, on 17 April 1925.

He entered the U.S. Army in June 1943 from Williamsfield, IL, took basic training at Camp Wallace, near Galveston, TX, and then volunteered to be a cadet in the Army Air Corps. He took flying lessons at the University of North Dakota and pre-flight Training at Santa Ana, CA, but in March 1944 as the Allied forces prepared for the Invasion of Europe, he was one of 35,000 cadets transferred to ground duty. In April 1944, Bainbridge wound up in Company A, 1st Battalion, 423rd Infantry Regiment, 106th Division. As a Sergeant and Squad Leader, Bainbridge was captured by the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. He was interned at Stalag 9B Bad Orb, and Stalag 9A in Siegenheim until liberated on Good Friday, 1945. Bainbridge went into Bad Orb at 140 pounds and came out weighing only 89 pounds. On 20 June 1945, he married Hazel Smith and they eventually had two daughters. He was discharged from the Army in December 1945.

Bainbridge was recalled to active duty in January 1951 for the Korean War. Deciding to remain in the Army, Bainbridge rose quickly in rank. Following assignments at Camp Atterbury, IN; Fort Sheridan, IL: Fort Riley, KS: and Fort Leonard Wood, MO; he was reassigned to Europe and served as the operations sergeant with Headquarters, VII Corps. In 1962 he returned to Fort Riley, KS, where, after his promotion to Sergeant Major in February 1963, he served with the 1st Infantry Division as Sergeant Major of the 1st Battle Group, 28th Infantry, late reorganized as the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry. In 1965 he accompanied the Battalion to Vietnam. Midway through his tour in Vietnam, Bainbridge was appointed Command Sergeant Major of the II Field Force.

From September 1966 through August 1967 he was Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Infantry Training Center, Fort Benning, GA. He then was appointed Command Sergeant Major of the First United States Army at Fort George G. Meade, MD, and later selected to serve as Command Sergeant Major of the United States Army, Pacific, located in Fort Shafter, HI. In October 1972, Sergeant Major Bainbridge became the first Command Sergeant Major of the newly-created U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, TX, and remained there until his appointment as Sergeant Major of the Army.

During the interview process before his selection as Sergeant Major of the Army, Bainbridge was asked why he hadn't obtained more than one year of college. "I;ve got a doctorate in Soldiering," he replied, "and I think that's important." General Fred Weyand, Chief of Staff of the Army, picked him for the job. Bainbridge was sworn in as the fifth Sergeant Major of the Army on 1 July 1975 and served until June 1979.

At his retirement, Bainbridge encouraged soldiers to remember their history. "I want to give my heartfelt thanks," he concluded, "to those who gave this Illinois farm boy a chance to serve our great nation."

In Retirement

Upon his retirement, he was the first former enlisted man to be appointed an officer at the Soldiers and Airmans Home in Washington, DC. Bainbridge served in this capacity until July 1991 and then retired to Palm Bay, FL. As an Army noncommissioned officer, SMA Bainbridge never forgot his hardworking rural roots. He was a "people-oriented" leader who believed that good soldiers were made by good leaders. His emphasis was always on the enlisted soldier and in every assignment he was given, from squad leader in the Bulge to Sergeant Major of the Army, Bainbridge always went out of his way to look after the welfare of his soldiers. His style was characterized by the fact that people did not so much feel that they worked "for" Bainbridge, as much as they felt they worked "with" him. He took his attitude with him to the Soldiers Home where, he once joked, his "squad leaders" were all 65 years old.

Medals, Awards & Badges

Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal with Numeral 2
Army Commendation Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Prisoner of War Medal
Army Good Conduct Medal
American Theater Campaign Medal
European-North African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
National Defense Service Medal with Service Star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Service Stars
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Meritorious Unit Citation
Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge with Star (2nd Award)

Death and Burial

Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge died on 29 November 2008 in Palm Bay, Brevard County, FL. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, in Section 59, Site 3414.



Honoree ID: 227030   Created by: MHOH

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