William G. Bainbridge

1925 - 2008

PALM BAY, Fla. - William G. Bainbridge, Palm Bay, died Nov. 29, 2008.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army William G. Bainbridge was born April 17, 1925, in Galesburg Ill., coming from the rural farming stock. His father died in 1930 and his mother remarried Leon Simkins, who was Bainbridge's father in all respects until his death June 23, 1992.
In June 1943, Bainbridge enlisted in the U.S. Army. He took basic training at Camp Wallace, near Galveston, Texas, 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, Calif., 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. Bainbridge wound up in Company A, 1st Battalion, 423rd Infantry Regiment, 106th Division, in April 1944. As a squad leader Sgt. 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.
After his discharge in December 1945, Bainbridge returned to Illinois where he resumed farming. In June 1951 he was recalled to active duty for the Korean War. Deciding to remain in the Army, Bainbridge rose quickly in rank. He was promoted to sergeant major in February 1963. As Sgt. Maj. of the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley Kan., Bainbridge accompanied his unit to Vietnam in October 1965. In 1966 he became the Sgt. Maj. of II Field Forces, Vietnam.
After Vietnam Bainbridge was assigned to Ft. Benning, Ga. Then in 1967 he became First U.S. Army Sgt. Major at Ft. Meade, Md. In 1968 he went to Hawaii to be the Sgt. Major of the U.S. Army, Pacific. In 1972 he was reassigned to Ft. Bliss Texas, where he became the first sergeant major of the newly created U.S. Army Sergeant Major Academy, the capstone school of the army's noncommissioned officer education system.
In 1975 Bainbridge was selected to the fifth Sergeant Major of the Army. During the interview process before his selection, Bainbridge was asked why he hadn't obtained more then one year of college. "I've got a 'doctorate' in soldiering", he replied, "and I think that's important." Gen. Fred Weyand, Chief of Staff of the Army, picked him for the job. As Sgt. Major of the Army Bainbridge was the chief enlisted adviser to the Army's chief of staff. He held that job for four years, serving under General Weyand and later Gen. Bernard Rogers. At the time the SMA's tour at the Pentagon ran concurrently with the tour of the chief of staff who had selected him. Bainbridge was the first to break the mold.
Bainbridge retired in July 1979 after thirty-one years of Army service. At his retirement he 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." Upon his retirement he was the first former enlisted man to be appointed an officer at the Soldiers and Airman's Home in Washington, D.C. Bainbridge served in this capacity until July 1991. Retiring to Palm Bay, Fla.
As an Army noncommissioned officer, Sgt. Maj. 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 France 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.
His awards include 10 Good Conduct Medals, the Distinguished Service Medal and two Awards of the Combat Infantry Badge, one for each war he fought in.
Sgt. Maj. Bainbridge is survived by his wife of 63 years, Hazel L. Bainbridge (nee Smith) whom he married June 20, 1945, at Cambridge, Ill. He has two daughters, Kathryn L. Koop (Steve) and Mary B. Moore (Paul); two grandchildren, Karrie and Ryan; and four great-grandchildren, Shane, Kodie, Khamry and Payton. Sgt. Maj. Bainbridge was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Kristine in July 2008; and his brother, James L. Bainbridge on June 10, 1992.
In 1995 Fawcett-Columbine published Bainbridge's autobiography, "Top Sergeant."
Epitaph: "Called Up to Be a Soldier in the Army of the Lord."
A Celebration of Life will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at Palm Bay Funeral Home. Burial with full military honors will take place at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.
Arrangements are being made by Palm Bay Funeral Home, (321) 724-2222.
Sign online guestbook at www.affuneral