He was on the D-Day beaches at Normandy and fought across Europe to Berlin, personally participating in the rescue of numerous concentration camps… with amazing details of what he saw and had to do as a doctor…

Chief Medical Director

Immediately after the end of the war, Dr. Dehne was appointed the Chief Medical Director for the rehabilitation of war-devastated Berlin, Germany, with the corresponding rank of 2-Star General.  He participated directly in the creation and masterminding of the Marshall Plan… working in concert with Generals Clay, Patton, Eisenhower, and others.

He retired from the Army in 1966 after 30 years and had to make a decision to become the Medical Director of the US Space Program… or Nevada State Health Officer… choosing the latter.

After leaving the (Nevada) State Health Officer job, he joined his doctor friend (who was by then President of UCLA) to spend 6 months (as civilians) reporting on medical aspects of the Vietnam War.  Living in ritzy hotels… as well as groveling with the grunts in the field during the Tet offensive.

Boxing Ring Doctor

He was THE ring doctor for virtually all boxing matches in Northern Nevada from 1970 to 1985. He was instrumental in saving boxing as a National sport during the ’70s (when the American Medical Association was trying to ban these events)… lecturing incessantly to protect the boxers.

His face was as familiar as Mills Lane at thousands of matches he officiated… matches that included Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Hollyfield, Larry Holmes, numerous Cuban National boxing teams… and a veritable Whose Who of other famous pugilists and boxing teams.

During this period, he was nominated for the United Nations Population award and was among 3 finalists… that included the winner, Indira Gandi.

Toward the end of the story, he received the Albert Schweitzer World Humanitarian Award… where he is honored in the same book with people such as Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower.

Obituary

Colonel Edward James “Doc” Dehne, Husband, Father, Teacher, Humanitarian, Physician, Soldier, Author, Diplomat passed away very peacefully on 25 June 2000… after more than 60 years of dedicated service to the Medical community of the World. Doc first arrived in Nevada in 1967 when he became the Nevada State Health Officer. With one of his top priorities being the relatively politically incorrect at the time preservation of Lake Tahoe.

This was before it was the priority it became several years later. Needless to say, his stance did not enhance his political career. Before that he had served more than a quarter-century in the U. S. Army Medical Corps, with duties ranging from Chief Public Health Director (with the civilian rank of general) for the post-war rehabilitation of Berlin… to Commander of the U. S. Army Hygiene Agency 1954 – 1959… to Consultant to the U. S. Army Surgeon General 1959 – 1966.

Among his numerous Honors and Awards are the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, five Campaign Battle Stars, Commendation Medal, and the Purple Heart. Doc Dehne also received France’s L’Order Sante Publique, Belgium’s Order of Leopold, and Brazil’s Pro Mundi Beneficio. He is inscribed in over ten “Who’s Who” Directories Worldwide. These are remarkable feats for a person, who, as a youngster, grew up in North Dakota and attended a one room school house for the first several years of his education.

His aspirations and tenacity overcame this apparent obstacle, and he found his way West and graduated from Oregon University Medical School, and later he earned his MPH and Dr PH at Johns Hopkins University. The Societies to which he has belonged are too numerous to itemize here. He routinely served in some official capacity in each of them; from president… to executive council member… to communication advisor.

Doc Dehne learned to box as a freshman in college and had over 50 fights. Many of his opponents later became world professional champions; while he chose to go to medical school. It was only natural then, that in the late 1960s when boxing in Nevada was in its embryo stage, he was asked to serve as the Ring Physician for both amateur and professional fights in northern Nevada. He was the Ring Doctor for more fights than can be counted – at least 3,000!

From the most unskilled amateurs through to Leonard, Holmes, and Holyfield. Doc Dehne’s membership in Professional Medical Societies caused him to travel to such assorted places as the Soviet Union (several times), Brazil, West Germany, France, Vietnam, Switzerland… to name just a few. He was usually one of the keynote speakers at each of these events. But with all of this traveling, he was still content when he returned to Nevada…

Even after leaving his official full-time capacity with the State of Nevada, he carried on his quest to serve needy people to the best of his ability. He received the Albert Schweitzer World Humanitarian Award… where he is honored in the same book with people such as Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower. His dedication toward a Global Health Policy continues in eternal memorization.

The Passport

US passport with 48 pages issued at the American Consulate General in Berlin on 12 May 1947. His occupation was simply stated as “Government employee”. In his position and under the given circumstances in post-war Berlin, he should have gotten a Special passport type, actually.

But maybe because of the circumstances, they issued him just an ordinary passport with the number 1041. The document was valid till 12 May 1948. Visas are from France including revenues, Switzerland (issued by the delegation for the repatriation of Swiss citizens, which was the official body of Switzerland then), Belgium incl. revenue issued by the Belgian mission in Berlin, Service visa from the Netherlands, a stamp from a British passport officer, a Czech visa and as last stamp on page 18 a stamp *”US ZONE CONSTAB” from 10 Oct 1947.

*The United States Constabulary was a United States Army military Constabulary force. From 1946 to 1952, in the aftermath of World War II, it acted as an occupation and security force in the U.S. Occupation Zone of West Germany and Austria.

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