Bernhard Theodore Mittemeyer (October 30, 1930 – January 25, 2023) was a United States Army

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

who served as Surgeon General of the United States Army between 1981 and 1985.

Early life, education, and career

Mittemeyer was born in

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname' ...

, Suriname, on October 30, 1930. At the age of 14, Mittemeyer emigrated to the United States during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. While attending college at

Moravian College Moravian University is a private university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The institution traces its founding to 1742 by Moravians, descendants of followers of the Bohemian Reformation under John Amos Comenius. Founded in 1742, Moravian University ...

and medical school at

Temple University School of Medicine The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM), located on the Health Science Campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, is one of 7 schools of medicine in Pennsylvania conferring the M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) degree. It also ...

, he was deferred from the draft. However, after graduation, he was drafted into the Army in 1957. Following initial accession training, he volunteered for the airborne forces since the

101st The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute mul ...

and 82nd had liberated his home country of the Netherlands during the war. He was assigned to the 101st. After six months, he became the division surgeon for

General Westmoreland William Childs Westmoreland (March 26, 1914 – July 18, 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from ...

. Soon thereafter, however, Mittemeyer announced his resignation to Gen. Westmoreland. When Gen. Westmorland inquired why he was leaving, Mittemeyer pointed out that he was not in the regular army since he was not a citizen. Westmoreland arranged his citizenship so that he could become part of the regular army. Mittemeyer then accepted an Army urological residency. In 1968, he deployed to Vietnam, where he commanded the 326th Medical Battalion (Airmobile) from 28 July 1968 to 27 February 1969. During his tenure as Surgeon General of the Army and working in

Military District of Washington The United States Army Military District of Washington (MDW) is one of nineteen major commands of the United States Army. Its headquarters are located at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. The missions of the units in the Military Distri ...

(MDW), he instituted Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), later adopted by MDW-wide and now simply called Physical Fitness Test (PFT), a set of fitness tests including push-ups, sit-ups, and a timed two-mile run that now applies to all 85,000 military employees of MDW. After serving as Surgeon General of the Army, he retired on February 28, 1985. He served as the chief of urological surgery at

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) is a public medical school based in Lubbock, Texas, with additional campuses in Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, El Paso and the Permian Basin. TTUHSC serves more than 100 counties in the ...

, and retired on August 31, 2010.

Death

Mittemeyer died in Lubbock, Texas, on January 25, 2023, at the age of 92.

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mittemeyer, Bernhard T. 1930 births 2023 deaths United States Army generals Surgeons General of the United States Army Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center faculty United States Army Medical Corps officers Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Paramaribo Surinamese emigrants to the United States