Burt
Rowen, Col, USAF, MC, Ret, passed away peacefully on Oct 1, 2012. He
was born in New York City March 30, 1921. From https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108355631/burt-rowen
Burt
Rowen, Col, USAF, MC, Ret, passed away peacefully on Oct 1, 2012. He
was born in New York City March 30, 1921.
He graduated in 1942 from Lafayette College, Easton, PA, and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry. He had already received his admission to medical school and was deferred from active duty to attend. He graduated from New York University College of Medicine after completing a three year accelerated course, the last two years in the ASTP Program as a Private First Class. He received his MD degree summer 1945.
He was then commissioned 1st Lieutenant US Army and placed on inactive duty for internship at Meadowbrook Hospital in Hempstead, N.Y. Upon completion, ordered back to active duty as 1st Lieutenant US Army Reserve, MC, to Scott Field, IL. After a short assignment, he was reassigned to School of Aviation medicine, May 1946, at Randolph Field. Upon graduation, he was sent to Ft. Benning, GA, to attend the Airborne School for parachute rescue training. He was then assigned to 5th rescue Squadron, West Palm Beach, FL. Next assignment back to Randolph Field for Pilot Training, 1947-48, to learn to fly because Col Harry Armstrong, Commandant of School of Aviation Medicine wanted physicians to be trained as pilots so they would understand medical problems of pilots in the coming jet age. Burt attended Primary Flight Training at Randolph in PT-13 and T-6. Advanced flight training at Barksdale Field, LA, in B-25s. Graduated pilot training 1948. Assigned to 56th Fighter Group, Selfridge Field, MI, June 1948 flying P-80s for a year and participated in Fox Able II June 1949, ferrying 11 F-80s and 4 T-33s to Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, home of the 36th Fighter Group, the first jets permanently assigned to Germany. During the Iceland stop, he was ordered to fly ground control approaches for the radar crew so they could get first hand jet glide pattern and touchdown experience. He flew the first single ship jet airshow over Reykjavik. In 1948-51, Capt. Rowen returned to Randolph AFB as instructor at the School of Aviation Medicine. After attending Strategic Intelligence School in Washington, D.C., assigned as Assistant Air Attaché (Medical), Stockholm, Sweden from 1952-55, and was also accredited to Norway, Denmark, and Finland. Fall 1955, attended special course at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD.
Then assigned to Flight Test Center, Edwards, California, 1956-62. He was responsible for evaluating life support systems in all aircraft undergoing flight tests. While there, he worked with life support system on T-38, T-39, F-89, F-100, F-101, F-102, F-104, F-105, F-106, F-107, and TF-102 as well as transports, bombers, and helicopters. During this time he was medical director of the X-15 Program. Summer 1962-65, assigned to Wright-Patterson as medical director of X-20 Dyna Soar program which was cancelled in 1963. He remained as deputy commander of the Aerospace Research Laboratory until Sept 1965 when he was reassigned to Williams AFB, AZ, as Flight Surgeon to prepare the first F-5 fighter squadron for deployment to Bien Hoa, Vietnam. After return from Vietnam, assigned to James Connally AFB, Waco, TX, as Surgeon 12th Air Force. 1969 Ramstein AFB, Germany as 17th Air Force Surgeon, followed 1970-72 as Deputy Surgeon USAFE, Wiesbaden, Germany. 1972-74, Commanded the School of Health Care Sciences at Sheppard AFB, TX. 1974 assigned Air Force Military Personnel Center, Randolph AFB, as member of USAF Physical Evaluation Board until first retirement March 1981. One day after retirement, April 1, 1981, recalled to Active Duty by the President for 5 years to serve as Chief, Medical Standards Division at MPC until second retirement in 1986.
Retired March 30, 1986, on his 65th birthday. During his career as physician-pilot, flew more than 50 aircraft, logged 133 combat missions, and more than 7700 military flying hours.
He was married for 70 years to his lifelong love, Jeanette (Klimpl). They have three sons: Peter, Wife Deborah; Philip, Wife Laurie; Gary, Wife Laura; 7 grandchildren and two great grandsons.