Max Edward Zimmerman – Commander, United States Navy

Courtesy of The Reverend Frank B. Crumbaugh III

Commander Zimmerman was born in Vienna, Austria on 20 September 1894. He immigrated to the United States around 1900, and grew up in East Rutherford,  New Jersey.

Max Edward Zimmerman enlisted in the Navy in 1913. He became a Pharmacist’s Mate. He went to sea in the battleship USS West Virginia, and was present at the punitive expedition at Vera Cruz, Mexico.

Zimmerman rose steadily through the ranks, and by 1920, he was commissioned an Ensign in the Navy’s Medical Corps. In 1930, he assumed command of the Naval Hospital in American Samoa. During World War II, Commander Zimmerman had command of the US Navy Nurse’s School at Great Lakes, Illinois. In addition to Samoa, Commander Zimmerman’s duty stations included Pearl Harbor, Bethesda, and San Pedro, California.

Commander Zimmerman retired in 1954, having completed 41 years on continuous active duty. His decorations include the Navy Expeditionary Medal (Vera Cruz), the WWI Victory Medal, the American Theatre Medal (WWII), the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal.

Commander Zimmerman lived 36 years in retirement. He died in January of 1990, and is interred in the columbarium at Arlington.

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