FRANKFURT GERMANY
| (Source: USAREUR Military History Office – Online Medical Histories, 2002) |
The 97th was selected for special service to aid in the Berlin air-lift in 1948-49; for its support of the operation, it was awarded the “Army of Occupation Medal with the Berlin Air-Lift Device”. On 1 January 1954, the hospital was redesignated US Army Hospital, Frankfurt operated by the 97th General Hospital with a total expandible bed capacity of 1,000. The 97th General Hospital and the Frankfurt Army Regional Medical Center (FARMC) is the largest and busiest in Europe. Comprised of 11 troop medical clinics, 22 dental clinics, 3 veterinary detachments and numerous other field and TO&E units spanning a 100 mile radius. The 97th General Hospital is authorized an operating bed level of 330 plus 30 remaining overnight beds for evacuation patients. The hospital functions as the medical evaluation center for patients being evacuated to the United States. It also operates a regional neonatal intensive care unit for the dependents of US Army Forces in Europe. The hospital provides specialized treatment in 22 areas to include: allergy, audiology, cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology, internal medicine, dentistry, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, pediatrics, pulmonary disease, psychiatry, rheumatology and urology. The 97th General Hospital and the Frankfurt Army Regional Medical Center continues to function as the home of concerned care. |
ARMY BARRACKS 
I was born in this hospital February, 1956. My goal is to go to Frankfurt to see the city. This brought back a lot of memories for my mom. My dad was Walter Shaffer.
I was born in this hospital in February 1964. I was planning a trip to see where I was born.
I am happy for you! I was stationed there when you were born, I got there in May, 1962, left on New Years Day, 1965. You might know it is no longer a hospital, now the U.S. Consulate. Have fun! My oldest son was born in Frankfurt also in 1964, but not at the 97th, a German Civilian Hospital, Nordwest Krankenhaus.
97th ER was my workplace from 5/90-11/92.
What a hopping place especially with Desert Shield and Desert Storm erupting our Deutschland experience. God bless the Consulate premise now.
Robert S Arnold, M.D.
Hi Doc,
It’s always nice to hear from someone who served at the 97th. I worked in the mail room at the end of the basement, went to A.P.O. 757 twice a day to take and receive mail. I was there May 1962-New Years Day, 1965, got a job with the Postal Service, retired from there 9-11-1998. Now I work 12 weeks per year, been a tax return preparer since 1971. Best wishes to you, we always need more great docs.
Thanks for the memories and keeping them alive. RSA
I was stationed at McNair, wonder if your the same Robert who saw me in 1990 for domestic abuse and walking pneumonia?? My former last name was Walker.
Is this hospital open to public?
The 97th General Hospital has been closed for several years. The location is now the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt.
It’s been closed for a number of years, since shortly after we removed most military personnal and families from Frankfurt to participate in Desert Storm and the later iraq and afghanistan wars.
I was stationed with the 97th from 1983 – ’86. Sorry you missed it.
— Army veteran (1969 – 72, 1981 – 86)
My husband was born 1967 as his dad served in the army and his name was Johnnie Patterson E9 staff Sargent . Does anyone know him ???
I never heard of an E-9 Staff Sergeant.
Thankyou I might have the status wrong
A Staff Sergeant would likely be an E-6, an E-9 would likely be a Sergeant Major.
Hi, All!
I’m looking up Michael B. Stearns, LTC; when I was there) or full COL (near retirement). I worked in Personnel / Payroll / Mission Staffing during Desert Shield and through Desert Storm. He was a great Chief, as was Major Dodd, who followed him in the post.
Any info would be appreciated.
On March 1, 1985, I was admitted to 97th General Hospital Army Hospital as a pregnant soldier who became unconscious and the hospital terminated my pregnancy but didn’t release my child’s remains to me for burial. I have been trying to locate my child’s remains for years or even a paper trail saying what they did with my child’s remains. The hospital would not let me get my child’s remains released to me in order to have a burial service. What did they do with the baby?
There is an American child’s cemetery section in the Frankfurt Cemetery that was located across the street from the 97th. There is even a facebook group about it. I can’t imagine the hospital terminated a pregnancy without permission unless it was medically indicated. Depending on the number of months you were pregnant there possibly wasn’t enough growth/development to be considered a child in which case there would be no grave. I also doubt the 97th would bury someone’s child for them.
I’m trying to locate a major davies that worked there in 1993-1994. I believe he has passed on, but I’m trying to find his obituary. Can you please help me? Thank you very much.
USA Military Directory on Facebook, they have helped me find friends from my career in the Army.
I was in the pediatric ward in 1977 is there any records at all available to me .it’s extremely important who can I contact to find out .
Have you considered checking with the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt, or perhaps the office of your Congress man or woman?
Have you tried thru National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis?
https://search.archives.gov/search?query=medical+records&submit=&utf8=&affiliate=national-archives
Hello Cendie,
I was born at this hospital in 1977. It was my understanding through many years of searching that there was a fire at the hospital in 1981-ish and there were many medical records destroyed.
It is the military’s process to move medical records to the National Personnel Records center after 3 years of inactivity of civilian dependents. So I am pretty sure that my records were still on site as I left Germany under my mother’s orders at the age of 3.
If you are looking for the records for medical illness purposes, your best bet would be to try and see if there is anything in your parent’s records at the National Personnel Records.
If you are looking for the records for proof of US Citizenship, know that back then the “Report of Birth Abroad” was used as a “birth Certificate” because it looked prettier than the real birth certificate and so many parents (mine included) threw out the actual report of birth and most places (including US Dept of Social Security) would accept the Report of Birth Abroad as proof of citizenship until 9/11.
If you traveled back to the states with military parents, you might not be “found” in National Personnel Records, I wasn’t and I tried many…many times.
In the end, I had to go through the process of becoming a Naturalized Citizen. Which, I am sorry but I served my country in the US Navy with a Secret Clearance 12 years prior to having to “claim” US Citizenship through Naturalization. Straight BS.
Either way, below is the link to get you started. I would recommend calling and speaking to someone there and asking them if the documentation you are planning to submit would be sufficient. I sent in (probably too much), but I didn’t want there to be ANY question. And the fee is non-refundable. It is a process, so be patient. And you will have an interview and have to take the Oath of Allegiance at the end of it all.
If that didn’t work, I was going to apply to be a US citizen through my spouse/marriage. 🙂
https://www.uscis.gov/military/citizenship-for-military-family-members
See Naturalization of Citizenship for Children of Service Members
Best of luck in your search!
Brandy
I was a medic on the pediatric ward from 1959-1961 at the 97th General Hospital. Sometimes I wish I had finished out my enlistment there. It was great duty and the the German people were for the most part very nice. Does anyone remember Freddie’s bar and his wife’s delicious Weiner Schnitzel!!
Yes, I remember it, right across the street as I re-call. When I got there in May, 1962, Staff Sergeant Alfred Reeberg was in charge of the mail room at the end of the basement. I worked there most of my time until I left on New Years day, 1965. Colonel Byron Steger was 97th Commander when I got there, Colonel Philip Mallory was Commander when I left. I typed his first name with two l’s on his mail card and had to re-do it because he spelled it with 1 l. When President Eisenhower died, Mallory was a Major General at Walter Reed. We had different detachment commanders at the 97th, my favorite was Major Herbert Condit, he later got promoted to Lt. Colonel. A long time ago, I found his widow on the internet, she wanted copies of my promotion orders to give to their five children, which I sent to her.
Victor, I ran the mail room for 28 months 1966-December of 1968. Had quite a crew there, Richard Cantwell, Julio Cruz, George Burke, Phil Sackett, Ernie Dooley, Larry Peterson, and several others who helped us out during the Holidays when mail and bulk mail was heavy. Great memories made with a great group of soldiers. The guys enjoyed taking the mailcart through the hospital for delivery to the wards. Lots of pretty nurses and WAC medics to chat with on the mail Route. SP-5 K. D. Henson
Hi Kenneth, We never delivered mail to the wards, sounds like a great idea. We had about three people from each ward who were authorized to pick up mail for their ward or section. One Christmas, I had mail call for a couple of hours, got a nice compliment from Colonel James Fairchild, Chief of the Dental Clinic. We were supposed to have 5 people, sometimes we had only three, I would go to the mail room at night to try to catch up.
I was at 97th sept 66 to dec 67. You probably handed me the daily mail and my orders to go home. SP5 Bob Bertram, Chaplains Office, 97th General Hospital.
I was born there in June of 1961 and needed blood transfusions at birth. I just asked my parents who are both in their mid 90s if my blood donor was a medic and they said it was a soldier who guarded the front gate. Would be fun to find out the name of the man who helped me survive my 1st few days of life 🙂
I was stationed there from August1966 to January 1968. I was assigned to Food Supply, purchasing the essential foods for the entire hospital. My boss was SSGT Harold Thompson.
When I was stationed at the 97th, May 1962-New Years Day, 1965, the OFFICER in charge of all the food operations was Major Anastasia Cotter. Back then, Catholics did not eat meat on Friday, so EVERYONE had fish EVERY Friday. I NEVER heard anyone complain, many of us raised very poor were happy to get the fish.
I was Military Police from August 1966 – April 1968. We guarded Jayne Mansfield when she came to the “Plantation Club”, (1967). Two months before her death.
I remember the Plantation Club. I was sitting in it, sipping on a “Tom Collins” when we got the word that President Kennedy had been killed. Some of the entertainers who came to the Plantation were Bill Haley and his Comets, Count Basie, Ray Price and others. Cost: $1.25. later, $1.50.
Oh yeah, I was there in 1969-70 and Freddie was a wonderful man. He had been a POW in England late in the war and went home somewhere in the eastern sector. He told me that he realized what was happening and put his wife on the back of his motorcycle and crossed into the western sector. Yes great schnitzel!
I was stationed at the 97th Gen. Hosp. from Feb. 1977 to May 1978. Freddie’s at that time was down the street from the hospital, toward Friedberger Warte I think.
Freddy’s was going strong when I was at the 97th between 1977 and 1979
I was born there in January of 1969, while my father was station there, i have a copy of my birth certificate but need a notarize one. is there anyway you could help?
Hello, I was born at this hospital in 1979, how can I get a copy of my birth certificate?
Go to the standesamt in Frankfurt or reorder your citizen born abroad certificate.
I had surgery at 97th general hospital in 1980 and as per my local VA office there in no record of it, I need help to find a contact to retrieve my surgery records
In the basement are the file cabinets. There are two floors under the hospital. I was a janitor there as a dependent. If the cabinets
Are still there your X-rays and file are there.
When I went down there it was dark and no power. Used the special elevator key.
Hope it helps. There is a embassy building connected to the hospital now. Maybe they can help.
Eli Tella, same here. I was in a coma for 3 days there in 1977 and no record of it anywhere. Please let me know if you find a way to get hospital records. I would appreciate it so much.
I was a postal clerk in 97th General, from May 1962 until New years day, 1965. Victor Arnett
Victor, I followed you in the Mail Room operation. Was in the Administration section from August 1966 until December 1968. Ran the Mail Room for my last 24 months there. Kenneth Dean Henson
Wow, this is a nice surprise. Thanks for taking care of things after I left. Thanks to my Army postal work, I got a job with the Post Office Department, later, U.S. Postal Service for 32.5 years, my oldest son also retired from there. He was in an armor division in Germany, 1983-1986.
On 1 August 1971 my oldest Son was born at the 97th. Greatest Staff I ever knew in the OB/GYN Department.
Hi Jerry, am trying to find the name of the dr who delivered my friend’s son I think in 1957. She said the dr was amazing and saved her life as she had placenta previa (sp?) do you know the names of any of the obgyns there at that time? Thanks Heather
Was wondering is you had done any history on 32nd signal bn, when they were at mcnair kaserne, höchst and Kelly barracks, Darmstadt.
https://armybarracks.army/2021/12/11/kelly-barracks/
I was in B Co 32nd Signal at McNair Kasserne in 1984 thru June 1985.
was in bravo, charlie and delta companies, 32nd sig, 1987-91.
I don’t know about stuff that you posted. I lived in my barracks at McNair Kasserne in 1984 into June 1985.
Hi Janice,
You must have left before I arrived in 87. MsNair was a mess when I arrived, 2 murders had already happened. A cook had killed his wife with a sharpened frozen hotdog and an undercover investigator was killed after being repetitively tossed out the 3 rd floor window of the military intelligence baracks for headquarters. He was tied up and locked in a close locker with its 3 drawer dresser still inside.