Quintino J. Serenati – Brigadier General, United States Air Force

Courtesy of the United States Air Force

BRIGADIER GENERAL Q. J. SERENATI

Retired October 1, 1972 – Died February 19, 1993

Brigadier General Quintino J. Serenati was commander of Malcolm Grow USAF Medical Center, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, and command surgeon, Headquarters Command, U.S. Air Force.

General Serenati was born in 1912, in Rome, Italy. He graduated from the West High School in Rochester, N.Y., in 1930. He graduated from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., in 1934, with a bachelor of science degree, and from the University of Rochester, N.Y., in 1938, with a doctor of medicine degree. He pursued resident training in orthopedics and general surgery in 1944, and had postgraduate specialty training at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; and the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

He entered the U.S. Army Medical Corps in 1949 to organize a progressive academic postgraduate program in surgery. From May 1949 to September 1950, he served as chief of surgery at the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. He next was assigned as chief of surgery at the U.S. Army Hospital on Governors Island, New York.

General Serenati returned to teaching in January 1952 as assistant professor of surgery and general surgical practice at the University of Rochester.

He transferred to the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps in April 1953 and was recalled to active military duty and assigned to Neubiberg, Germany, and later served as commander of the USAF Hospital, Middleton Stoney, England. In May 1954 he was reassigned to the USAF Hospital, Mitchel Air Force Base, New York, as chief, professional services and chief of surgical services.

General Serenati commanded the 4450th USAF Hospital at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, from September 1956 to 1959, He then returned to Germany as commander of Wiesbaden Air Base Hospital.

In October 1961 he returned to the United States and was assigned as hospital commander at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas. From July 1964 to November 1968 he commanded the USAF Hospital at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and in December 1968 he became surgeon general for Headquarters Tactical Air Command. In August 1970 General Serenati began his present assignment as commander of Malcolm Grow USAF Medical Center and command surgeon for Headquarters Command, U.S. Air Force.

He is a chief flight surgeon. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

He was promoted to the temporary grade of brigadier general effective March 1, 1969, with date of rank February 24, 1969.

General Serenati was buried with full military honors in Section 5 of Alrington National Cemetery.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard