William G. Bainbridge (April 17, 1925 – November 29, 2008) was a United States Army soldier who served as the fifth Sergeant Major of the Army.[1] He was sworn in on July 1, 1975, and served until June 1979. He was the last World War II veteran to hold the position of Sergeant Major of the Army.
Bainbridge entered the United States Army in June 1943 from Williamsfield, Illinois.[3] His first unit of assignment was with the 423d Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division, the last army division organized for service in World War II. After deploying into the Ardennes region of Belgium in late 1944, Bainbridge's regiment was overrun by German forces during the Battle of the Bulge. He was captured and spent the remaining months of the war in a German prisoner of war camp before being liberated by the 6th Armored Division.[4]
Upon returning to the United States, Bainbridge left active duty and joined the Army Reserve. He was recalled to active duty in January 1951. Following assignments at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, Fort Riley, and Fort Leonard Wood, he was reassigned to Europe and served as the Operations Sergeant with Headquarters, VII Corps. In 1962 he returned to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he served with the 1st Infantry Division as sergeant major of the 1st Battle Group, 28th Infantry, later reorganized as the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry. In 1965 he accompanied the battalion to South Vietnam. Midway through his tour in Vietnam, Bainbridge was appointed command sergeant major of the II Field Force.
From September 1966 through August 1967, Bainbridge was command sergeant major of the United States Army Infantry Training Center, Fort Benning, Georgia. He then was appointed the command sergeant major of the First United States Army at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland and later selected to serve as command sergeant major of the United States Army, Pacific located in Fort Shafter, Hawaii. In October 1972, Bainbridge became the first command sergeant major of the newly created United States Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss,[4] Texas and remained there until his appointment as Sergeant Major of the Army on 1 July 1975.[2]
Later life
A bugler from the U.S. Army Band plays taps at the burial service for William G. Bainbridge at Arlington National Cemetery (January 28, 2009)
