FORT LEE, Va. (Dec. 4, 2014) Dr. Seymour Levine, a retired Army colonel who served as the Kenner Army Community Hospital commander from 1983-1987, died Nov. 15 at his home in Potomac, Md. He was 81, and served 50 years in a number of command medical assignments.
While serving as the commander of Kenner, he was recognized for his innovative use of the Medical Unit Self-Contained Transportable hospital operating room equipment during the renovation of Kenner's operating rooms. KACH subsequently received its first Army Superior Unit award for the success of the MUST project.
During his career, he also served as commander of hospitals at Fort Monroe, Fort Belvoir, Kagnew Station, Ethiopia; SHAPE Headquarters, Belgium; and Tehran, Iran.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, and continued his education at the School of Medicine at the University of Geneva in Switzerland where he received his doctorate of medicine in 1959.
Commissioned as a captain in the United States Army in 1961, Levine attended the Army Medical Department Officer Basic Course and was assigned as a surgeon with the 6/52 Artillery Battalion in Wurzburg, Germany, the first operational HAWK unit in the Army.
After a 4-year general surgery residency, Levine deployed to the Republic of Vietnam in 1967. He served during the Tet offensive and received the Bronze Star and the Vietnam Service Medal with four battle stars.
After his deployment, he served two years as the chief of surgery at the U.S. Army Hospital in Munich, Germany, and then was selected for the first of what would be six command positions in his career. The first was commander and chief surgeon of the U.S. Army Hospital at the Army intelligence post at Kagnew Station, Asmara, Ethiopia.
Following a 1-year tour as the hospital commander at Fort Monroe, he was selected for the Academy of Health Science, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, earning a master's in health care administration from Baylor University in 1975.
Levine was then promoted to colonel and selected to be the commander of the U.S. Army Hospital, United States Army Mission Headquarters, Military Assistance Advisory Group, Tehran, Iran, where he was responsible for Army medical support in the Middle East.
The next assignment was the commander of the U.S. Army Hospital and SHAPE Medical Center in Casteau, Belgium, serving as the international military staff at NATO Headquarters.
Levine's final assignment was at Fort Belvoir as commander of the Dewitt Army Community Hospital. He retired from active duty on Jan. 31, 1991, after 30 years of service but was immediately recalled to active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm.
He retired from active duty a second time in 1993 but soon returned to duty in a civilian capacity as the medical member of the U.S. Army Physical Evaluation Board at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
On July 30, 2011, after 50 years of service, Levine retired for the final time.
He received a number of awards during his career.
Levine is survived by his wife of 55 years, the former Vladya Mina Nahman. Among his other survivors is a daughter, retired Brig. Gen. Muriel McCarthy. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery.
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