John Mitchell Obituary

Major General John Henderson Mitchell passed away in the early morning of Sunday, March 3rd, 2013. He was 79. He was surrounded by and is survived by his family, wife of 53 years, Joan Cameron Mitchell, his three sons, John Cameron Mitchell, Christopher Lloyd Mitchell and Colin MacKenzie Mitchell, and his longtime caregiver, Emily Olvera. He has four surviving grandchildren, Max, Sera, Taryn and Christopher. John Henderson Mitchell was born September 9th, 1933 in Atlanta, Georgia, to father William Lloyd Mitchell and mother Jesse Mildred Henderson Mitchell. His father, William, was commissioner of Social Security under two presidents. Major General John H. Mitchell graduated from St. Bonaventure University receiving a BA in Business Administration and an ROTC commission in 1956. He also received a Masters in Public Administration in 1973. In 1957, he graduated from the Field Artillery Basic Course and in 1963 the Advanced Course, both at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. At Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, he completed the US Army Command and General Staff College in 1968. He later completed the US Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, in 1973. General Mitchell served in a variety of command and staff positions to include Commander, 8th Battalion, 6th Artillery, 1st Infantry Division, Vietnam in 1968; Chief, Officer Assignments, Field Artillery Branch, Officer Personnel Directorate in Washington, D.C.; G1 for the 8th Division 1973-1975; Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Headquarters, US Army Europe and Seventh Army in Heidelberg; Division Artillery Commander and Chief of Staff, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kansas, Commander; Field Command, Defense Nuclear Agency, Kirkland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Selected for promotion to Major General, he assumed duties as Director of Human Resources Development Office, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, US Army, Washington, D.C.; United States Command, Berlin; and Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Army. His penultimate command was serving as US Commander of West Berlin from 1984-1988. His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf and V, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, and the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Army Commendation Medal with V. Device and with Oak Leaf Cluster. He was promoted to Major General on 1 October 1982. He received an Honorary Doctorate from St. Bonaventure University and was installed into the school's Seneca Battalion Hall of Fame in 1998. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia where he will be laid to rest next to his deceased sons Samuel Latham Mitchell and James Mitchell; the date of that ceremony is still TBA.