Robert C. Kingston

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Robert Charles Kingston

General Kingston, 1984
Allegiance	U.S. Army
Years of service	1948-1985
Rank	General
Commands	United States Central Command
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Combat Infantryman Badge Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Bronze Star with V device

Robert Charles Kingston (c. 1928 - February 28, 2007) was an American general who served as the commander of United States Central Command.

Kingston entered the Army as an enlisted soldier in November 1948. The following year he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Riley, Kansas and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry on December 20, 1949. He has commanded troops at each level from platoon to brigade. In 1970 he was assigned as the Deputy Secretary of the General Staff, Office of the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army. In June 1972 General Kingston returned to Vietnam where he was promoted to Brigadier General in December and served as Deputy Commanding General, Second Regional Assistance Command and as Deputy Senior Advisor, II Corps and Military Region 2.

In January 1973, General Kingston assumed command of the Joint Casualty Resolution Center in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. Upon his return to the United States in 1974, he assumed duties as Assistant Division Commander of the First Infantry Division and was promoted to Major General in September 1975. He assumed command of the US Army John F. Kennedy Center for Military Assistance and the US Army Institute for Military Assistance at Fort Bragg in 1975. Following his promotion to Lieutenant General in 1981 he assumed command of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force, MacDill Air Force Base Florida. On November 6, 1984 he was promoted to General and a year later he retired from active duty. Kingston died at age 78 due to complications from a fall.[1]