On this Memorial Day, I am thinking about all who have served in our military in times of both peace and war. One of them was my paternal grandfather, Wilfred Bede Mitchell. In his personal and professional life, he went by his middle name as W. Bede Mitchell. I always had thought that Bede was an unusual name. Doing a little research, I found that the name came from Venerable Bede, a 9th century English monk (perhaps influenced by some of our ancestors being members of the clergy near the city of York).
Bede served in the Army in both World War I and World War II. In World War I, he was a medic and, as far as I know, did not leave the country during the war.
Between the wars, Bede attended medical school, became a physician, got married, and had four sons. He worked as a obstetrician and lived with his family in Detroit. Before the United States entered the war, the military started to expand, and Bede helped the Selective Service by conducting physical exams for draftees.
After the war started, Bede went back into the Army and served in the Army Medical Corps as a captain. I remember my father telling me that the family moved from Detroit to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. While the family remained in El Paso, Bede shipped out to the Pacific theater. I do not know all of his travels, but I know that part of his time was spent in the New Hebrides. At the time he was there, it was a quiet place. Bede was an amateur artist, and spent some time of his doing charcoal sketches, some of which I have. He also carved some letter openers, two of which I have. The letter openers are not especially useful in this digital age, but they and the sketches are treasured nevertheless.
After the peace and quiet of the New Hebrides, Bede was in the invasion of the Philippines. The most exciting moment in his service occurred here. He was working in an Aid Station that was attacked by the Japanese, and he was fortunate to be one of the survivors.
When the war ended, Bede was in the occupation of Japan, and was there for awhile before returning stateside and returning to Detroit with his family.
After returning home, Bede developed a brain tumor. He underwent surgery to treat it, which was initially successful, although my father told me that he was no longer able to perform surgery, and limited his medical practice to consultation. Unfortunately, sometime later, the brain tumor returned and led to his death. He was cremated, and his sons buried the ashes at the base of a tree on the family property where a vacation cabin was located in northern Michigan.
Unfortunately, all of this took place before I was born, so I never got to meet him. Based on photographs, his art work, and what my father had told me about him before he too passed away, Bede was a pretty interesting guy and I would have liked very much to have met him and to get to know him.
Over the centuries our country has existed, we have been lucky to have Bede and millions of others step up when the country was in a time of need to offer their service. Thank you to all who served yesterday, serve today, and will serve tomorrow.
