Kraemer, Fritz Gustav Anton (33741993): Difference between revisions
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Fritz Gustav Anton Kraemer (July 3, 1908 – September 8, 2003) was an American military educator and advisor. He was Senior Civilian Advisor to the Army Chief of Staff. He is often credited with discovering Henry Kissinger, with whom he maintained a close relationship, and Alexander Haig. alt=Pentagon Strategist Fritz G.A. Kraemer, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, and President of the United States of America Richard Nixon at the Oval Office, The White House in Washington DC.|thumb|400x400px|Pentagon Strategist Fritz G.A. | Fritz Gustav Anton Kraemer (July 3, 1908 – September 8, 2003) was an American military educator and advisor. He was Senior Civilian Advisor to the Army Chief of Staff. He is often credited with discovering Henry Kissinger, with whom he maintained a close relationship, and Alexander Haig. alt=Pentagon Strategist Fritz G.A. Kraemer, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, and President of the United States of America Richard Nixon at the Oval Office, The White House in Washington DC.|thumb|400x400px|Pentagon Strategist Fritz G.A. | ||
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== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
alt=Pentagon Strategist Fritz G.A. | Fritz Gustav Anton Kraemer (July 3, 1908 – September 8, 2003) was an American military educator and advisor. He was Senior Civilian Advisor to the Army Chief of Staff. He is often credited with discovering Henry Kissinger, with whom he maintained a close relationship, and Alexander Haig. alt=Pentagon Strategist Fritz G.A. Kraemer, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, and President of the United States of America Richard Nixon at the Oval Office, The White House in Washington DC.|thumb|400x400px|Pentagon Strategist Fritz G.A. Kraemer, National Security Advisor [[Henry Kissinger, and President of the United States of America Richard Nixon at the Oval Office, The White House in Washington DC.]] | ||
Kraemer, | Kraemer, a Lutheran with a dislike for Nazis, escaped Nazi Germany for America in 1939, leaving behind his wife and son. He was drafted and became a U.S. citizen as an inductee and joined the United States Army in April 1943 ("with two PhDs and one monocle") as an infantryman in the 84th Infantry Division (the "Railsplitter"). His time served at Camp Ritchie classifies him as one of the thousands of Ritchie Boys. | ||
Kraemer fought in the Battle of the Bulge and in the battles of the Ruhr and Rhineland, earning a Battlefield Commission and a Bronze Star in the liberation of his former homeland. In 1945 Kraemer was reunited with his wife and son and returned to Washington, DC, in 1947. He left active duty in 1948 and retired from the Army Reserve in 1963 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. | |||
Kraemer died at the age of 95 on September 8, 2003, in Washington, D.C., and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on October 8. He was honored by former Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger and his former students Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig. “He stimulated my thoughts because he had all these experiences and insights,” Schlesinger said. Former Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld referred Kraemer as "a true keeper of the flame". Kissinger said that Kraemer was "the greatest single influence of my formative years. An extraordinary man who will be part of my life as long as I draw breath." | |||