About Lew

Dr. Lew Harned was born August 17, 1924 in Madison, Wisconsin. He was the oldest of the family, and had two younger brothers.

He graduated from Wisconsin High School in 1942 and immediately went to enlist in the military for World War II. Unfortunately, the United States denied him the opportunity to serve because he was near-sighted. Due to this, he volunteered to be a part of the American Field Service in Great Britain, attached to the British Eighth Army, as a part of the Italian campaign (1943-1944). He was a part of a variety of major campaigns including the invasion of Sicily and the Battle of Monte Cassino. When the war ended, he returned to Wisconsin where he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1947. He attended Hahnemann Medical School earning his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1951. He had an internship at Methodist Hospital in Madison, and a residency at the University of Colorado Medical Center from 1952-53.

The start of the Korean War gave Lew the opportunity to become a warrant officer in the Army. While in training he was chosen to switch to the Air Force because there were so many doctors in the Army. He served as a surgeon at the 2791st United States Field Hospital in Ogden, Utah from 1953-1955. At that time he received an honorable discharge at the rank of Captain, Medical Corps in 1955. Upon discharge he worked as a surgeon until 1985. Dr. Harned finished his orthopedic residency at Northwestern University from 1955-58. He was very involved with the University of Northern Iowa and was later inducted into their Hall of Fame, receiving their Panther Letterman Award in 1978-79.

In 1985, Dr. Harned volunteered to serve in the Wisconsin Army National Guard as an orthopedic surgeon and was then appointed as lieutenant colonel. In 1986, he was promoted to colonel, assuming command of the 13th Evacuation Hospital in May of 1988. Dr. Harned then went on to serve in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. At 65 years old, Lew was the oldest commander. During this time he commanded 387 soldiers and a 408-bed hospital just 40 miles south of the Iraqi border. The hospital had more than 3,500 outpatients, 109 surgeries, and treated both U.S. and enemy war casualties. He was honored with a Bronze Star for his outstanding leadership. Upon his return from Desert Storm, he was promoted to Brigadier General after which he retired for the final time in 1992.

His lifetime of service earned him tremendous honors including: the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (3), National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Southwest Asia Service Medal with three Bronze Service Stars, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. In addition, he also received three foreign service medals - the Italy Star, the British Wars Medal (1939-1945) and the British Campaign Star (1939-1945). In 1983, Dr. Harned earned an award from the Iowa High School Athletic Association for his service to Iowa high school athletics.