Obituary of 1SG Alfred Lewis Gaines, U.S. Army,

Alfred Lewis Gaines passed away December 25, 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was born September 19, 1940 in Asheville, North Carolina to Alexander Gaines and Laura Juanita (Nichols) Gaines.Alfred graduated from Stephens-Lee High School in Asheville, where he was active in sports; served on the Student Council all four years; served as the first Staff Poetry Editor for the school newspaper; and was a member of Varsity, Glee, Literary, Audio-Visual, and French clubs at various times.After high school, he attended Morristown Normal and Industrial College in Morristown, Tennessee for a year. He then returned to Asheville and worked at a variety of jobs, including: census enumerator, waiter, hospital equipment sterilization and supply, for several years before joining the Army. During that time he continued to enjoy sports as a member of the Southern Negro League Baseball Team, "The Asheville Red Sox".Alfred joined the United States Army in August 1963. After graduating Basic Training (Practical Nurse) two years later, he was then assigned to Fort Ord, California. In August 1967 until April 1969, he served as a medical Platoon Sergeant in the 2/48th Infantry, 3rd Armed Division in Gelnhausen, Germany; and was then deployed to Vietnam as a Medical Platoon Sergeant in the 2/8th Infantry Division until June 1970. He then was assigned to Fort Knox, Kentucky as an Emergency Room Shift Leader until June 1972. During that time, he was selected as one of the Army's first 120 Warrant Officer Candidates to attend Physician Assistant training. He was unable to complete the training due to personal problems during his 8th month of training. He went on to hold the following positions: Wardmaster of the General Surgical Ward at Letterman Army Medical Center, Presidio of San Francisco; Non-commission Officer in charge of Surgical Intensive Care and Recovery Room At 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany; Chief Wardmaster of the Surgical Nursing Section at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado; various positions at 4th Medical Battalion, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado with a final position as First Sergeant of C Company, 4th Medical Battalion; Chief Wardmaster of Maternal and Child Healthcare at Evans Army Hospital on Fort Carson; First Sergeant/Chief Wardmaster of a 200 bed MASH at Camp Humphries, Pyontek, Korea; with final duty as Chief Wardmaster of Ambulatory Nursing Service at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington.Alfred retired from the Army in August 1987. Included in his many awards are the Bronze Star, Humanitarian Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (4 campaigns), and Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation Badge with Palm. Following retirement, he worked for the US Postal Service for about three years, then for the Social Security Administration for approximately eleven years in San Francisco, California. He then moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to be near family. Alfred is preceded in death by his parents; and his brother Arnold "Mighty" Gaines.He is survived by his son, Alan (Davina) Gaines; three grandchildren, Alexandrea, Alanayha, and Amari Gaines; and two sisters, Jacqueline (Alton) Shade and Alexis (Robert) Hymes.Graveside Service, 11:00AM, Thursday, December 31, 2020, Pikes Peak National Cemetery, 10545 Drennan Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80925.The service will be streamed live. The link to watch the Graveside is located on Alfred's Tribute Wall on The Springs Funeral Services websiteAttendees for the Graveside Service will be capped at 25 people. Masks/facial coverings are required. Events Graveside Thursday, December 31, 2020 11:00AM Pikes Peak National Cemetery 10545 Drennan Road Colorado Springs, CO 80925 Phone: 202-632-8035