SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio-based USAA said Joe Robles, a two-star general, has died. He was 78.
The company confirmed his passing Thursday night.
Robles retired from the Army after more than 28 years of service spanning from the late 1960s in Vietnam to the Gulf War in the early 1990s.
After retiring as an Army general in 1994, Robles joined USAA as a special assistant to the chairman. He continued to assume more responsibilities at the company until he was named president and chief executive officer in December 2007.
Robles made his USAA retirement official in 2015. Months after retiring, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Current USAA president and CEO Wayne Peacock described Robles Thursday as a “Soldier at his core.”
“With nearly three decades of service to the Army, Joe knew what it meant to serve and he brought that experience to USAA,” Peacock said in a statement. “As CEO, he led the association through the largest period of growth in our history and fostered a culture of innovation to better serve the military community and their families. His legacy continues through the service we provide every day. Our thoughts and prayers are with Patty and their children during this difficult time.”
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a tweet that Robles was a “force for progress in all that he endeavored.”
“From business to veteran affairs to education, he exemplified a life of selfless service, answering the call locally and nationally time and time again,” Nirenberg said.
When asked by Fast Company in 2012 how he inspires others, Robles answered in under 30 seconds.
“Well, it’s a very simple secret that’s age-old, and that is: to communicate, communicate, communicate with the people you want to understand,” Robles said. “There’s no substitute for the leader, getting out on a face-to-face basis, and talking to the people that work with him on his team over and over and over again about what the expectations are.”