JOINT BASE MEYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA
On a blustery sunny afternoon, the Andrew Rader U.S. Army Health Clinic (ARUSAHC) hosted a 50th anniversary celebration ceremony on May 03, 2017 in honor of its namesake, Capt. George Andrew Rader of the U.S. Army Medical Corps.
Capt. Rader was killed in action on an unmarked Japanese transport ship sunk during a submarine attack in the South China Sea on October 24, 1944. His widow accepted the Purple Heart awarded posthumously on July 5, 1945 and on May 8, 1967 the Fort Myer Health Clinic was officially rededicated and named in his honor.
Rader's journey to Army medicine began from his birthplace of Newton, N.C. where he graduated from high school in 1928 and received a B.A. degree from Catawba College in 1932. He studied medicine at Wake Forest Medical School and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pa. where he received his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1937.
Dr. Rader served his internship at Walter Reed General Hospital and was appointed a 1st Lt. in the Regular Army Medical Corps on July 1, 1938. He arrived in the Philippines in July 1940 and was assigned to Sternberg General Hospital in Manila followed by the 12th Medical Regiment at Fort McKinley, Philippine Islands and promoted to the rank of captain on July 1, 1941.
Capt. Rader was declared missing in action on May 7, 1942 following the fall of Bataan to the Japanese Forces. He suffered through the infamous "Bataan Death March." After multiple moves, he arrived in Davao Penal Colony on the island of Mindanao.
For his actions during his two-year imprisonment, Rader was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star on September 27, 1945. The award citation reads "Captain George A. Rader performed outstanding services and surmounted great difficulties while a prisoner of war from September 1942 to October 1944. Captain Rader was selected to lead an advance detail to the Davao Penal Colony, fifty miles north of Davao, Philippine Islands. Upon arrival, he made effective arrangements for a hospital and camp that was soon to take care of 2,000 American prisoners of war for over twenty months. Captain Rader served as Adjutant and Physician of this hospital which had as many as half the prisoners as patients. The Japanese authorities were difficult, but by much patience and tact and twice at the cost of personal beatings, Captain Rader succeeded in procuring medical supplies to reduce the appalling death rate. His untiring efforts saved many lives."
The well attended, 50th anniversary ceremony was held in front of the clinic and included 17 guests representing the Rader family. The family traveled to be present for the celebration from various locations including North Carolina, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Florida. The group included four nieces and one nephew of Capt. Rader.
Capt. Rader's niece, Elizabeth Rader, speaking on behalf of her family, said "I want to express our deepest appreciation for this occasion and for the way that Andrew Rader's memory is honored each and every day by the gifted and dedicated staff here at the health clinic."
As part of the ceremony, a commemorative bench with Capt Rader's name and the inscription "Dedicated Physician, WWII Veteran, and Bataan Death March Survivor" was unveiled in front of the clinic.
In her remarks, Lt. Col. Kathy Spangler, commander of ARUSAHC, said "In a rapidly changing medical climate it is important to not overlook the basics of communication, patience, and tact.
We at Andrew Rader Health Clinic remember the sacrifices that Capt. Rader made for his patients, his fellow soldiers, and for his fellow man. His commitment and willingness to work hard for others is what has been the driving force behind Rader clinic's own cultural blueprint, it is our purpose; it is the legacy we hope to leave behind to ensure that the name "Rader" will never be just a name on a building.
The ceremony's guest speaker, Brig. Gen. R. Scott Dingle, Commanding General for Regional Health Command-Atlantic, Fort Belvoir, Va. said "Captain Rader's performance under the most difficult of circumstances is a direct precursor to modern army medicine personnel. He was deployed to the frontline with the troops he was charged to protect from illness and heal from injury. To this day, army medicine honors his commitment and the commitment of many other medics like him who braved hardship, combat, captivity, and even death, in order to aid the wounded and comfort the sick. Captain Andrew Rader was the living embodiment of the ready medical force."
Numerous original WWII photos, documents, and news clippings, on loan from the Rader family, were displayed in the clinic to provide guests with an inside look at the Army Medicine life and work of Capt. Rader.
For Rader's lasting tribute, Dingle said "Maybe the greatest legacy Andrew left us was this building. Here is a place of healing. This clinic is directly responsible for the care of soldiers, retirees and their family members. In every clinic, there are soldiers and civilians working to improve the health of the army family."
A U.S. Army band quintet set just the right ceremonial tone for the celebration in the beginning as the guests were taking their seats and brought the event to a perfect close with "The Army Goes Rolling Along."
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