TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. —
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – David Grant USAF Medical Center staff came together to celebrate hospital volunteer Eugene Petersen’s 101st birthday and his 59 years of service.
Petersen is a retired U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. According to his daughter, retired U.S. Army Col. Linda Standage, he was initially drafted in 1941 and served as a paratrooper in the Philippines. Standage also noted that he served as 1st Sgt. to the MAC V Surgeon General in Vietnam.
After retiring from the U.S. Army, “Mr. Gene”, as his coworkers affectionately refer to him, worked for the United States Post Office for the next 14 years.
Petersen started volunteering at David Grant Medical Center in 2010 and devotes at least four hours per day, three to five days per week.
“He is instrumental in assisting our Health Information Management office in maintaining 124,000 medical records for our 276,000 Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs eligible beneficiaries,” said Lt. Col. Reni Angelova, 60th Medical Support Squadron commander. He shares his knowledge, experience and life with our staff and young Airmen. We truly appreciate his contribution to our Health Information Management mission and to David Grant Medical Center.”
Mr. Petersen says he likes to work out at the gym and go fishing on his off time. When his daughter was asked what she thinks the secret to his longevity is, she replied “He doesn’t let any moss grow under him!” To that Mr. Petersen `added “and Dr. Pepper!”
