About

A graduate of Nurnberg American High School, Jeff Bartle grew up in the Army. His dad, Francis C. Bartle, served in World War II, then had a stint in the Army National Guard prior to being reactivated for the Korean War. He served in Alaska and commanded the Army ROTC program at Indiana University before being transferred to Korea. He was Inspector General for the Army units based in the state of Utah prior to being sent to Wurzburg and then Bamberg, Germany, where he served as Post Commander. Jeff’s dad’s 30-year career in the Army is one of many in the family who made the military a career. Jeff’s uncle, Edsel D. Bartle, served 30 years in the Army Air Corps and the Air Force, including 3.5 years as a Japanese POW during WWII. Jeff’s cousin, Monsignor Francis L. Sampson, was a highly decorated airborne hero of both World War II and the Korean War. Twice a POW, the Distinguished Service Cross recipient served as Chief of Chaplains and president of the USO after retiring from the Army. The film Saving Private Ryan is based on one of Sampson’s missions. Jeff’s son Andy, a Naval Academy graduate, was a Navy TOP GUN F-14 RIO, and his brother Bill flew Cobra helicopters in the Army. An ROTC student at Indiana University, Jeff attended graduate school prior to being assigned to the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command in Detroit, Michigan, where he worked in the logistics area for critical items, primarily for use in Viet Nam. While at TACOM, he had the additional duty serving as a Survivor Assistance Officer, which he says “impacted my entire life.”