Major General Roger K. Bean
U.S. Army Retired
EWU ROTC Class of 1962
Major General Roger K. Bean was born July 17, 1940 in Yakima, Washington. He was a 1958 graduate of Cheney High School before enrolling into Eastern Washington State College (EWSC) which is now called Eastern Washington University (EWU). He was awarded a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Business from EWSC in 1962. After graduation he commissioned as an officer through the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. He earned a Masters of Art degree in International Relations from the University of Alabama in November 1973. His military education includes completion of the Field Artillery Basic and Advanced Officer Courses at Ft. Sill Oklahoma; United States Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia; and the United States Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
Major General Bean’s early assignments included duty as a Forward Observer at Fort Lewis, Washington; Battalion Fire Direction Officer and Executive Officer in the Republic of Korea. As Platoon Leader he served as a Rotary Wing Aviator and Airlift Section Commander with the 1st Cavalry Division in the Republic of Vietnam on his first tour, then commanded a Field Artillery Battery with the 101st Airborne Division on his second tour to the Republic of Vietnam. He served with distinction as the S3 Operations and Executive Officer of the Field Artillery Group at Fort Lewis ,Washington; staff officer and Assistant to the Coordinator for Army Security Assistance, Office of the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.
Major General Bean served from 1976 until 1980 with the 2nd Armed Division at Fort Hood, Texas where he commanded the 1st Battalion, 78th Field Artillery; was the S3 Operations and Executive Officer of the 2nd Armored Division Artillery; and served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G5 Civil Affairs; later Chief, REFORGER Planning Group.
He served in Europe from 1981 to 1985. His assignments include Deputy Commander, Corps Artillery, VII Corps; Commander Division Artillery, 3rd Infantry Division; and Chief of Staff; 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized).
He served as the Assistant Division Commander, 9th Infantry Division (Motorized) at Fort Lewis, Washington. Major General Bean served as the Deputy Inspector General, Officer of the Secretary of the Army.
Prior to his retirement, Major General Bean served as the Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific Command.
Major General Bean’s awards include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with “V” device, Air Medals, Army Commendation Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters, Master Army Aviator Badge, and the Parachutists Badge.
Major General Bean passed away on June 13, 2009 in Tomah, Wis. after a 30-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
You can see the rest of the members of our EWU Military Science Hall of Fame at the below link:
He was my DIVARTY Commander in the 3 ID. He was a fine officer whom communicated very welll with his soldiers. He was instrumental in the inclusion of the TACFIRE Fire Direction System.
A fine Officer
Roger Bean was a local Cheney boy and EWU/ROTC graduate. We consider that to be “Dual Citizenship”! We locals are very proud of him.