Robert Mitchell

ROBERT E MITCHELL

MAY 19, 1918

AUGUST 04, 2015

Robert Edward Mitchell, M.D., C.M.

Captain Medical Corps USN (Retired)

Born in the shadow of the Naval Hospital in San Diego, California 19 May 1918 to George E. and Jessie Mitchell, his elementary and secondary education was in schools in central California. He received his bachelor's degree in 1942 from the University of California at Berkeley.

In 1947 he received his doctor of medicine and master of surgery degrees from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and from there reported for duty in the United States Navy at Naval Hospital San Diego for his internship. This was followed by residency training in internal medicine at Naval Hospitals San Diego and Oakland. He had further graduate training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Navy Diving School in Washington, D.C. and London Heart Hospital in England.

Doctor Mitchell was designated a naval flight surgeon in 1955, at which time he reported to the research division of the School of Aviation Medicine at Pensacola. During his subsequent tours at the Laboratory he was heavily involved in major research efforts with the "Thousand Aviator" project. This ongoing study, begun in the mid 40s by Dr. Ashton Graybiel, was designed to track the careers and lives of 1056 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps pilots over their lifetimes, to assess the impact of such a career in both personal and professional terms.

Doctor Mitchell was also the prime researcher in the program assessing the health of Navy and Marine Corps personnel repatriated after being prisoners of war as a result of the Vietnam conflict. This program started in 1972, with a comparison group initiated in 1976. Air Force and Army RPWs were also eventually brought into this program. He is known as DOCPOWC. He was head of the Medical Sciences Department of the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL) from 1970 until he assumed command of the Lab in 1975.

Doctor Mitchell retired from the Navy in 1980 and was immediately recalled to active duty in order to serve at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI). He retired a second time and was recalled to active duty, again. After the third retirement, he was hired on a contract basis to continue his work with the repatriates, the comparison group and the "Thousand Aviators." He was also an original member of the medical team which worked with the American hostages who had been held in Iran.

During his career, Captain Mitchell served extensively in overseas assignments: Kwajalein, Marshall Islands; Naples, Italy, U.S.S. Shangri-La (CV 38); First Marine Aircraft Wing, Danang, Vietnam; and at Naval Station Rota, Spain, where he commissioned Naval Hospital Rota as its first commanding officer.

Doctor Mitchell was the recipient of many professional honors in the field of medicine and aviation. He was elected to the International Academy of Astronautics; elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine in England; elected an honorary member of NAM-POW, Inc. That organization installed a bronze plaque in his honor at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, FL. A second plaque was installed at the Robert E. Mitchell Center for Repatriated Prisoner of War Studies at Naval Air Station Pensacola; elected an honorary member of the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association ("The Golden Eagles"); was the first recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award established in his name by The Society of U.S. Naval Flight Surgeons; received the Theodore C. Lyster Award of the Aerospace Medical Association "for outstanding achievement in the general field of aerospace medicine"; designated Honorary Naval Aviator #21 by the Chief of Naval Operations, the only flight surgeon in the navy so honored; elected to the Hall of Honor in the National Museum of Naval Aviation; mentioned in the record of the 101st Congress by Senator John Glenn of Ohio; honored by the Freedom Foundation/Navy League of Pensacola for his role in establishing the POW follow-up studies; honorary member of The Order of Daedalians.

He had 2000+ hours of flight time during his career, in all types of aircraft.

Doctor Mitchell was a member of the American Medical Association; the Aerospace Medical Association; the Royal Society of Medicine of England; a charter member of the Association of Naval Aviation; the Society of U.S. Naval Flight Surgeons; a Life member of the U.S. Naval Institute; the First Marine Aircraft Wing Vietnam Service Wing; The American Association for the Advancement of Science; the American Heart Association and had been the president of the West Florida Chapter on two occasions and a member of the association's Florida Affiliate Board of Directors; the California Alumni Association and the McGill University Alumni Association; the Navy League; the Wings of Gold Society. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church.

On 4 August 2015, Bob passed his final flight physical in order to join his wife of 66 years, Viola Elizabeth (Liz) Mitchell. They will be together "Always".

He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Anne (Al); son Robert James (Karen); grandsons Scott Ashton, Sidney Andrew, Robert Skyler, Robert William, Geoffrey Thomas, Ryan Michael and granddaughter Erica Hope; sisters Audrey and Ellen, of California; several nephews, and multiple great nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 1230 on Friday, October 9, 2015 at the NAS Pensacola Aviation Memorial Chapel, where Doctor Mitchell was key in having the "Flight Surgeons" stained glass window installed. Interment will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to www.REMCF.org or to www.NavalAviationFoundation.org

Civilian friends may meet at 11:45 AM at Oak Lawn Funeral Home on New Warrington Rd. to join an escorted procession to the chapel leaving at noon.

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