Ret. Marine General Martin Berndt passed away at 63

Martin Berndt, Marine general and Springfield grad, dies at 63

By Linda Finarelli
Staff Writer

Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Martin R. Berndt, formerly of Springfield Township, died Aug. 17, 2011, at his home in Hubert, S.C. He was 63.

Gen. Berndt, who served 36 years on active duty in the Marine Corps, was a military hero who headed up the 1995 rescue of U.S. Air Force Capt. Scott O’Grady, who ejected over Bosnia when his F-16C was shot down by a Bosnian Serb missile while he was patrolling the no-fly zone. The film “Behind Enemy Lines” was loosely based on O’Grady’s survival over six days evading capture until his rescue on June 8 by members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Gen. Berndt, as the commander of the unit, was among those who “choppered in and performed the rescue,” said his brother, Don Berndt, of Maple Glen, who also served in the Marines.

“He had an exemplary career,” Don Berndt said. “Selfless service to others was his motto.”

Don Berndt described his brother as a humble man.
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