Don S. Wenger (December 18, 1911 – July 10, 1986) was a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

Biography

Wenger was born in

Monroe, Wisconsin Monroe, known as "the Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA", is a city in and the county seat of Green County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,661 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered by the Town of Monroe to the north and the T ...

, in 1911. He attended

Milton College Milton College was a private college located in Milton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1844 as the Milton Academy, it closed in 1982. Its campus is now part of the Milton Historic District. History The college was founded as the Milton Academy (high scho ...

, the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, the Marquette University School of Medicine, the

St. Mary's University School of Law St. Mary's University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of St. Mary's University, a private Catholic university located in San Antonio, Texas. Academics The School of Law has an enrollment of about 770 students, pursu ...

, and

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

. As a civilian he practiced medicine in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. Wenger died on July 10, 1986.

Career

Wenger joined the military in 1942. 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 opposin ...

he served in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He became a resident in surgery at Oliver General Hospital in Augusta, Georgia in 1947. In 1949 he was assigned to

Chanute Air Force Base Chanute Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force facility, located in Champaign County, Illinois, south of and adjacent to Rantoul, Illinois, about south of Chicago. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force t ...

. From 1953 to 1957 he was assigned to the Office of the

Surgeon General of the United States Air Force The surgeon general of the Air Force and Space Force is the senior-most Medical Service officer in the United States Department of the Air Force and thus serves as surgeon general for both the United States Air Force and United States Space Forc ...

. In 1957 he was assigned to

Lackland Air Force Base Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of the city of Sa ...

as Chairman of the Department of Surgery. Later Wenger was reassigned to the Office of the Surgeon General as Chief Professional Consultant. His retirement was effective as of July 1, 1967.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wenger, Don S. People from Monroe, Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin Physicians from Wisconsin United States Air Force generals United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Air Force Medical Corps officers Milton College alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Marquette University alumni St. Mary's University, Texas alumni St. Mary's University School of Law alumni George Washington University alumni 1986 deaths 1911 births Medical College of Wisconsin alumni