General Bernard Loeffke (Ret.), U.S. Army

Bernard “Burn” Loeffke is a West Point graduate. He has BS in Engineering, an MA in Russian, and a Ph.D. in Political Sciences. He has taught graduate school at Georgetown University.

General Loeffke has commanded Special Forces and parachute combat infantry units. He culminated his military career as the Commanding General of Army South. In his military service he accumulated more than 250 parachute jumps - two while in combat in Vietnam. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds in combat, as well as the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for Valor. He is a pilot and Army Ranger.

General Loeffke is also the first American to have jumped with Communist Chinese Units. He earned this distinction when he became the first US Army General to be assigned to the American Embassy after the Communist takeover. General Loeffke also served as the Army Attaché in Moscow, as a staff officer in the White House, and as the Director of the Commission on White House Fellows.

An important ingredient in General Loeffke’s life is physical fitness. In the past, he served as an advisor to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. As a young Captain, he was a US Army Swimming Champion. As a Colonel, he competed in a military decathlon in Russia. As a General, he ran several full-length marathons in China. Today, as a senior, his workouts include 300 sit-ups, 100 push-ups and at least 40 minutes of cardiovascular exercise.

The General retired from the Army in 1992 and immediately started his medical career. He finished his studies as a physician's assistant in 1997 and had his first taste of missionary medicine in a combat zone in Africa. He now participates in medical missions in war-torn and impoverished areas such as Bosnia, Haiti, Kenya, Iraq, Niger, Darfur, and the Amazon jungles.