Harold Baumgarten

DR. HAROLD (HAL) BAUMGARTEN, M.D., D-DAY SURVIVOR, DESCRIBED BY TOM BROKAW AS "ONE OF THE GREATEST OF THE GREATEST GENERATION", DIED ON DEC 25, 2016. HE WAS BORN IN NEW YORK, MARCH 2, 1925 AND BECAME A PERMANENT RESIDENT OF FLORIDA IN 1947. HE LANDED IN THE FIRST WAVE ON OMAHA BEACH ON D-DAY, JUNE 6,1944 AND WAS WOUNDED FIVE TIMES IN JUST 32 HOURS OF DEVASTATING COMBAT AND ALWAYS WONDERED WHY G-D HAD SPARED HIM THAT DAY. THUS, HE DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO "PAYING BACK" BY COMPLETING HIS EDUCATION TO BECOME A TEACHER AND THEN A PHYSICIAN TO HELP OTHERS IN LIFE. HE RECEIVED HIS B.A. DEGREE FROM NYU AND HIS MASTERS DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI. HE THEN TAUGHT BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS AT PALM BEACH HIGH SCHOOL FOR OVER FIVE YEARS. WHEN THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI OPENED A MEDICAL SCHOOL HE APPLIED TO ATTEND, WAS IMMEDIATELY ACCEPTED AND THEN GRADUATED MEDICAL SCHOOL. HE PRACTICED MEDICINE AS A BOARD CERTIFIED PHYSICIAN FOR OVER 40 YEARS. HE ALSO WORKED PART TIME AS THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF GULF LIFE INSURANCE. WHEN HE RETIRED FROM HIS PRIVATE PRACTICE HAL WORKED AN ADDITIONAL SIX YEARS AT THE LOCAL VETERANS ADMINISTRATION TO HELP HIS FELLOW VETERANS. HIS MENTOR WAS STEPHEN AMBROSE, FAMOUS AUTHOR AND HISTORIAN AND FOUNDER OF THE D-DAY MUSEUM IN NEW ORLEANS, WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN DR. BAUMGARTEN'S LIFE, ENCOURAGING HIM TO TELL, SPEAK AND WRITE ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES OF D-DAY. HE HAS WRITTEN THREE BOOKS AND GIVEN LECTURES ALL OVER THE WORLD (ESPECIALLY IN NORMANDY, FRANCE), AT PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, POLICE ACADEMIES, CHURCHES, THE WWII MUSEUM AND ASSORTED BUSINESS GROUPS IN THE UNITED STATES. HE HAS BEEN ON DUTCH, AUSTRALIAN, GERMAN AND FRENCH TV AND IN MANY DOCUMENTARIES ON THE HISTORY, MILITARY AND CNN CHANNELS AND VARIOUS RADIO PROGRAMS IN THE U.S. FOR HIS MILITARY SERVICE HE RECEIVED THE PURPLE HEART, TWO BRONZE STARS, COMBAT INFANTRY BADGE, ETO MEDAL WITH BATTLESTAR AND ARROWHEAD. FROM FRANCE HE RECEIVED THE CROIX DE GUERRE WITH SILVER PALM AND THE KNIGHT OF THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION. HE HAS BEEN WRITTEN UP IN MANY NEWSPAPERS THROUGHOUT THE USA SUCH AS, TODAY, TIME MAGAZINE, USA TODAY AND WAS ON THE COVER OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE. HE APPEARED ON TOM BROKAW'S PROGRAM ON NBC SEVERAL TIMES AND HIS STORY WAS USED IN THE FIRST 20 MINUTES OF "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN".

DR. BAUMGARTEN ASSISTED TOM HANKS IN PRESENTING STEVEN SPEILBERG HIS KENNEDY HONORS AWARD AT THE KENNEDY CENTER, WHICH INCLUDED DINNER AT THE WHITE HOUSE, AND WAS HONORED WITH NUMEROUS AWARDS AND PLAQUES OVER HIS MANY YEARS OF SHARING HIS FIRST HAND EXPERIENCES WITH THE WORLD. HE WILL BE PICTURED IN MANY MUSEUMS FOREVER, ESPECIALLY AT THE AMERICAN CEMETERY IN NORMANDY, FRANCE.

HAL WAS MARRIED TO HIS SWEETHEART AND THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, RITA FOR 67 YEARS AND LEAVES BEHIND HIS LOVING CHILDREN KAREN (LEOPOLD) SHER, BONNIE (KEN) FRIEDMAN AND HAL (BRENDA) BAUMGARTEN, HIS SIX ADORING GRANDCHILDREN; MICHAEL ZABREK, ROSE (JEREMY) SOSO, SAMANTHA SHER, MATTHEW AND KATY ROSE FRIEDMAN, AND RACHEL BAUMGARTEN, A GREAT BROTHER-IN-LAW, BERT SNYDER, HIS PRECIOUS SISTER, BEATRICE YATES AND MANY NIECES AND NEPHEWS. HE WAS A LEGEND OF A MAN WHO WAS GREATLY LOVED AND WILL BE MISSED BY ALL WHO KNEW HIM.

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE DONATIONS IN HIS NAME HIS CHOICES WOULD BE; THE WWII MUSEUM ON MAGAZINE STREET IN NEW ORLEANS, THE JACKSONVILLE JEWISH CENTER OR THE BETH EL BEACHES SYNOGOGUE IN PONTE VEDRA.

GRAVESIDE SERVICES WILL BE HELD AT 10:30 a.m. ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016 AT THE NEW CENTER CEMETERY SECTION OF EVERGREEN CEMETERY WHICH IS LOCATED ON 43RD ST OFF OF MAIN STREET, JACKSONVILLE, FL. INTERMENT BY HARDAGE GARDENS.

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