Page 8 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine

Lt. General Dr. Bernhard
T. Mittemeyer A Lifetime of Service to

His Adopted Country

ernhard was born Oct. 30, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. Although In April 1968, he was deployed
1930 in Paramaribo, Surinam, the young man was already a to Vietnam. But as a volunteer
BSouth America. His parents medical doctor, he volunteered for who had completed his obligatory
Jan and Hanna were there as the airborne services, because the military service, he went with a
missionaries 101st and 82nd had liberated his promise from the Army Surgeon
from Holland. home country of the Netherlands General Office that he would
They arrived in at the end of WWII. Of the 23 be assigned to an Army Field
1926 and served airborne volunteers, he was one Hospital. However, after arriving
there for 42 of two to be assigned to the 101st at Bien Hua, he was immediately
years. However, Airborne Division. He was sent to assigned (once again) to the 101st
during WWII, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky and served Airborne Division as the Division
his father first as the Battle Group Surgeon
went to be a and Clearing Platoon Commander.
chaplain for the He was then assigned as Division
Dutch Army in Surgeon at the request of General
Indonesia from William Westmoreland. At the
1942 to 1945. end of his two year tour, Bernie
Bernie, his two was going to leave the Army.
brothers and When General Westmoreland
his mom came
to the United
States in 1944 “
and lived in ...he volunteered
Nazareth, PA for the airborne
where Bernie services, because
and his two
brothers learned the 101st and 82nd
English. In early had liberated his
1946, their father home country of the
came to the U.S.,
and he and his Netherlands at the
wife planned to return to their end of WWII.
Moravian mission work in asked him why, Mittemeyer “
Surinam. The plan was for Bernie
and his brothers to go to Holland
and live with family members pointed out that he “was not
there to insure appropriate further a U.S. citizen”. Westmoreland
education. However, a church immediately arranged for him
family in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to get his citizenship so he could
volunteered to “adopt” the three become a part of the regular Army. Surgeon and Medical Battalion
boys so they could remain in the (Bernie’s older brother who had Commander which was heavily
United States, which they very just completed his sophomore year involved in combat in the northern
much wanted to do. So Bernie was at Leigh University was drafted most part of South Vietnam.
able to graduate from high school out of college and received his Bernie noted that “it was a year
there in 1948. He then went to citizenship on the battlefield during of continuous warfare and action
Moravian College in Bethlehem, the Korean War.) As a brand new where movement was almost
PA as a pre-med student and American citizen, Bernie accepted always by air ambulance and
graduated in 1952. Afterwards, an Army Urological residency evacuation of the wounded was
he earned his M.D. degree from which he completed in1965. He often during the heat of the battle.”
Temple University School in 1956. was then assigned as Assistant While in Vietnam, he received
Chief of Urology at Walter Reed the Distinguished Flying Cross,
Soon after medical school and Army Medical Center in Bethesda, the Bronze Star Medal with a V
internship, he was drafted into the Maryland. (for Valor) with Oak Leaf Cluster
Army and did his basic training at
8 Lubbock Senior Link