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INDIANAPOLIS - Former Indiana National Guard adjutant general, retired Maj. Gen. Robert J. Mitchell, 77, died Sunday. He served as adjutant general from 1997 to 2001.
“I felt a deep sadness when I heard of Gen. Mitchell’s passing,” said Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, Indiana’s current adjutant general. “I looked up to him as a mentor and a friend. He was an outstanding leader who transformed the Indiana National Guard. He will be missed. His family, including his National Guard family, will carry his memories in our hearts.”
Mitchell, who was born in Petersburg, Ind., Nov. 4, 1936, began his career as an enlisted Soldier, Sept. 15, 1953, and served as a military police officer with the 341st Military Police Company. From 1955 to 1959, Mitchell served on active duty as an operations specialist and a communications chief with the field artillery.
Mitchell attended the Indiana Military Academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, July 12, 1964, in the Indiana Army National Guard.
In June 2001 then Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon credited Mitchell with molding the Indiana National Guard into a "progressive, efficient and combat-ready military organization."
Prior to becoming adjutant general, Mitchell served as the 38th Infantry Division commander where he led approximately 6,000 Soldiers during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
For more than 14 years he served in 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment in various positions and was appointed as the battalion commander in January 1985.
Mitchell received many awards in his 48-year military career including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal.
After his retirement, he served as an Army adviser to the former Soviet country Georgia to prepare the country for admission into NATO. He was twice awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash, one of the highest awards an Indiana governor can bestow.
Mitchell is survived by his wife, Carolyn, and their daughter, Robyn, and three sons, Robert, Ryan, and Richard.
Visitation times at the Jasper Armory, located at 1481 Bartley Street, Jasper, Ind., are Thursday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The funeral service will also be at the Jasper Armory and begin at 1 p.m., Friday.
Media are invited to attend.
| Date Taken: | 05.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.07.2014 14:48 |
| Story ID: | 129060 |
| Location: | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, US |
| Hometown: | PETERSBURG, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 122 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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