Retired Gen. Robert Cone, who led Army Training and Doctrine Command and was the top general for III Corps during the deadly 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that killed 13 people, has died at age 59.
"He was a great friend, a brave warrior and a uniquely gifted Army leader. His loss leaves a big hole in our ranks and in our lives," said retired Gen. Carter Ham, president of the Association of the U.S. Army, in a statement.
Retired Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth Preston, AUSA's NCO and Soldier Programs director, said in a statement that Cone "was a selfless and caring leader who always placed the mission and the welfare of his soldiers first; always focusing on what right looks like and teaching the standard. General Cone was a soldier's soldier and a dynamic leader who inspired junior leaders and soldiers to be their best; we will miss him very much."
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, of Cone's native New Hampshire, said the retired general "leaves behind a legacy of hard work, grit and dedication to our Armed Forces." She met with Cone while visiting the Middle East in 2010 with a congressional delegation.
Gen. Robert Cone, then-commanding general of Army Training and Doctrine Command, and Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel A. Dailey, then-TRADOC command sergeant major, salute the colors as the flag is lowered during Dailey's welcome ceremony at Fort Eustis, Va., in December 2011.
Photo Credit: Sgt. Angelica Golindano/Army
"Gen. Cone devoted his life to preserving freedom at home and abroad," she added in a statement. "My thoughts are with Gen. Cone’s family – the Granite State mourns your loss and we are grateful for your family’s service to this country."
In a statement issued by Fort Hood, Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, head of III Corps and of the Texas installation, called Cone "a brilliant and caring leader who served our nation in a challenging era."
Gen. David Perkins, who took over for Cone as TRADOC commander in 2014, said he served with Cone at the training command and in combat.
"In both environments he was unshakable under intense pressure, always able to think about the long-term effects of decisions, and most importantly, what was the best thing to do to set soldiers up for success and ensure mission accomplishment," Perkins said in a statement late Tuesday. "Our Army and nation were well-served by Gen. Bob Cone for over 35 years, but his legacy will live on by his important contribution to our Army: His personal investment in people. We will reap a return on that investment for generations."
Cone, a member of the U.S. Military Academy's Class of 1979, headed to Fort Hood for his first assignment in December 1979. He served there in various roles for more than five years, eventually becoming a company commander.
Next came some time behind and in front of the desk -- he completed Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, and earned a master's degree in sociology at the University of Texas, then became an instructor and assistant professor at West Point before completing Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
He served with V Corps during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, then returned to Texas in 1994 after a stint in Europe. After time as an executive officer with III Corps' 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Cone began a series of assignments at both Army and joint commands that took him from Colorado to Rhode Island, back to Fort Hood, north to Virginia and eventually into Qatar in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He would eventually deploy to Afghanistan in 2007 as head of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, and again to Iraq in 2010 as head of III Corps and deputy commander of U.S. Forces-Iraq.
Cone also led III Corps when then-Maj. Nidal Hasan opened fire and killed 13 people and wounded 30 others in November 2009.
The unprecedented event challenged Cone as he worked to rebuild the III Corps and Fort Hood community.
"One of the things that scared me the most [was an article that said] Fort Hood is back to normal," Cone told Army Times back then. "No, it's not. When a soldier dies in theater, we have it down. We know what to do. [But] we're not in theater. We're here in Fort Hood. Here it's much more difficult. It is a far more complicated event."
Left to right, Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, first lady Michelle Obama, President Barack Obama, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry pray at a memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas, for the victims of the Fort Hood shootings on Nov. 10, 2009.
Photo Credit: Jay Janner/Pool via AP
But Cone also highlighted the resilience of his soldiers and their families.
"What's really so powerful about this is how the Army family comes together and, really, the whole community," he said at the time.
Cone took command of TRADOC in April 2011. He retired in 2014. At his retirement ceremony in March, then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said that over nearly 35 years of service, Cone had "pioneered organizational change at almost every level, and he's consistently helped change our Army into the one our nation needed at that time."
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
