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The Robert E. Mitchell Center for Prisoner of War Studies is a special program* of the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI). As such the RE Mitchell Center provides follow up evaluations of repatriated prisoners of war (RPW) from Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, to study the mental and physical effects of captivity and to address the findings' applicability to current military operations. A unique institution, it singularly holds the longitudinal database of the long term effects of repatriated RPWs and its Comparison Group. *USC Title 10, Section 1501-1513 DoDI 3002.03 (Jul 2013/Apr 2016): DoD Personnel Recovery-Reintegration of Recovered Personnel Joint Publication 3-50(Aug 2023): Personnel Recovery OPNAVINST 1000.24D (Jan 2019): Personnel Recovery NAVPERSCOMINST 1000.24 (Nov 2022): NAVPERSCON Personnel Recovery Phase III Reintegration Program
Honoring and keeping the faith to a grateful Nation’s warriors, the RE Mitchell Center’s mission has remained steady and true ever since Operation Homecoming (1973). The course is guided by:
Vision: An American team of physically healthy and psychologically strong warriors, families, and civilians whose resilience and physical fitness enables them to survive/perform and thrive in both the military and civilian sectors and to meet a wide range of operational demands.
Mission: Provide evidence-based, captivity-related, medical lessons learned in order to equip and train medical and line/fleet forces for real world operations.
Goal: Determine the long term physical and psychological effects related to POW internment.
Objectives:
The RE Mitchell Center subject matter expertise is recognized. The Executive Director serves as an advisor to the Congressionally mandated VA Advisory Committee on Former Prisoners of War and works closely with the VA on POW related matters including identifying medical and psychological conditions related to captivity.
The Mitchell Center’s recent work on bone density resulted in the VA’s adapting a new POW-specific service-connected presumptive diagnosis of osteoporosis for disability compensation.
The Mitchell Center provided the Navy and Air Force medical and psychological information for adjudicating applications for Combat-Related Special Compensation. It also helped design the Emotional Fitness Training module of the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier & Family Fitness Program.
In 2018, the REMC augmented its course with a new operational orientation, one which directly supports Commanders and the warfighter. REMC has integrated deeper into the broader Personnel Recovery and Reintegration community, serving as an Agency and/or Activity medical subject matter expert and research capability. It contributed to the new DoD repatriation instructions and the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency’s plans for repatriation of future American POWs. As such, the REMC’s expanded vision finds near perfect alignment with the US Navy Surgeon General’s first-ever Campaign Order.
During the Vietnam conflict, POWs suffered malnutrition, general abuse, and various types of torture. In the North, the torture appeared to have been “standardized” and designed to provide the maximum of pain and discomfort with the minimum of obvious physical traces. Very restrictive restraints and unusually extreme (ie; against the joint) posture would be used on a daily basis.
Despite this adversity and isolation, the POWs maintained a code of conduct. They also developed various forms of communication; the TAP Code was the cornerstone. Through command, control, and communication, the POWs demonstrated remarkable preservation and resilience. Former POWs have been successful in later years counting among their numbers Members of Congress, Members of State Government, Officials in the Veterans Administration, the first Ambassador to Hanoi and various successful businessmen.
The Mitchell Center has its roots in the 1000 Aviator Study. The 1940 Program gave the Navy its first comprehensive look at personal attributes of successful student aviators. From it, better aviation selection standards were created.
With the anticipated end of hostilities in Vietnam, planning for a Center for Prisoner of War Studies (CPWS) at Point Loma, California began in 1971. During Operation Homecoming, 660 United States Military POWs were repatriated from South East Asia prisons between January and May 1973. The Department of Defense mandated a five-year five-year program for all the services to evaluate the effect of captivity among the repatriated POWs (RPWs).
The Navy and Marine Corps personnel were seen at the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory. In 1978, the CPWS Charter ended and the Navy and Marine Corps records were archived. The evaluations, however, were transferred to and continued at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI). NAMI later became subordinate to the Naval Operational Medicine Institute, which later became the Navy Medicine Operational Training Center.
Captain Robert E Mitchell was the cornerstone of the program. He was integral to the 1000 Aviator Study, involved in the planning of the CPWS, and performed the RPW evaluations until 1990, when he finally retired. As a result of CAPT Mitchell’s vision and singular effort, the Mitchell Center expertise was recognized, Army and Air Force Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom RPWs, Somalia and Bosnia hostages/detainees, and program funding were added.
Timeline:
CAPT Robert E. Mitchell graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1942, and received his medical degree from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal, Canada in 1947. Performing his internship and residency at the U.S. Naval Hospitals in San Diego and Oakland, he attended the Army Medical Service Graduate School at Walter Reed Army Medical Center before being designated a Naval Flight Surgeon at Naval Air Station Pensacola in 1955. His career included service ashore and afloat, including duty as Senior Medical Officer on the carrier Shangri-La (CVA 38), Staff Medical Officer for the First Marine Aircraft Wing in Vietnam, and Senior Medical Officer and Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Hospital at NS Rota, Spain. He accumulated 2,000 flight hours, including many under combat conditions.
Furthermore, he spent fifteen years in various posts at the U.S. Naval School of Aviation Medicine, and Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, culminating with command of the latter. During this time, he played the leading role in the "Thousand Aviator Study", and a program of medical evaluation of repatriated Vietnam prisoners of war, both landmark studies that have contributed immeasurably to the medical field.
After 44 years of selfless dedicated service, CAPT Mitchell retired. "Doc" Mitchell is well respected by the RPWs and is known for his classic house calls to area RPWs and telephone consultations to those geographically distant. He is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association and Royal Society of Medicine. "Doc" Mitchell was made an Honorary Naval Aviator June 1990.
Background The Robert E Mitchell Center (REMC) for Prisoner of War (POW) Studies Logo was created as a special program insignia to commemorate both the hardships endured by POWs and the REMC’s unwavering medical support to those selfless yet distinguished Repatriated Prisoners of War (RPWs). The challenge coin was created to memorialize the individual, CAPT Robert E Mitchell, whose singular vision and sheer audacity enabled an unbroken (since 1973) dedicated service to those who suffered as a POW.
Description On a 1 ½ inches diameter 2-sided circular brass device, the obverse shows a bas-relief image of CAPT Robert E Mitchell encircled by a rope-design border depicting his association with the Navy. The reverse is an enameled colored logo encircled by the inscription Robert E Mitchell Center POW Studies.
Symbolism The logo is highly symbolic in that the background is adopted from the ribbon of the POW Medal. The unchained bald eagle, an embodiment of the American POW spirit, stands with pride and dignity.
Below the bald eagle is a yellow ribbon inscribed with Never Forgotten. A bold proclamation that not only did REMC desire for a speedy and safe return of those interned, but upon repatriatization, acted in fulfilling a grateful Nation’s promise to care for him who have borne the battle and endured harsh captivity.
Overlaying the yellow ribbon is a serpent entwined staff, the rod of Aesculapius, which is a symbol of medicine administered by a physician, in this case, a flight surgeon. The two together resemble a Caduceus, a winged staff with two entwined serpents, which is recognized to be a larger military health care system.
In this larger setting, the single serpent indicates the multidiscipline REMC’s singular commitment and dedication to supporting the RPWs and providing lessons learned for future military training and operations.