Bernard G. Seggerman was born in Secor, Illinois on February 5, 1927 to Richard Seggerman and Hilke Johanna Fischer. He spent his childhood years at an orphanage starting at age four where he lived until he was age 16. Bernard then entered the army at age 17 and was stationed in Salzburg, Germany after World War II where he served under Eisenhower and Clark. He returned stateside at 19. Bernard enrolled at University of Illinois and attended the school for two years. He then joined the USAF in pilot training in 1949 at San Angelo, Texas.
He later attended navigator school at Ellington Air Force Base in 1950. During this time, he met his sweetheart, Joyce Seggerman. He went to Korea in 1951 and flew 55 missions. He returned to stateside in 1952 and went into Strategic Air Command training in the same year. At the age of 27 he married Joyce Nell Cook, a nursing student of 19 years of age on December 21, 1952. On October 19, 1953 his son, Bernard Seggerman II was born. Also in the same year, Lt. Seggerman crewed up in Strategic Air Command in Orlando, Florida where he was stationed until the summer of 1958 after winning the coveted Schofield trophy in bombing competition. He was then accepted at the University of Michigan in the Fall of 1958 where he studied with James A. McDivitt and Ed White (both astronauts).
In 1960 he was awarded an Electrical Engineering degree. After graduation he was made Captain. He was transferred to Sculthorpe AFB in England for two years and later returned stateside where upon he was sent to Biloxi for advanced communication school training. He was then transferred to Custer AF Station in Battle Creek Michigan. He worked in a computer intelligence facility for three years. At this point in his career he was given the position of Major. He was transferred to an army post in Petersburg, Virginia in 1966 where he continued advanced studies in communication systems and was involved in similar work. The decision was made that he be transferred to the Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base in Vietnam on March 6, 1967.
He continued his work in communication systems and also followed through with field research into the outskirts of Saigon. He returned from Vietnam on April 14, 1968. Due to the rigorous and stressful routine he endured while in Vietnam, he made the decision to retire from the service on August 31, 1968. On July 17, 1969 his daughter Suzan Seggerman was born. He enjoyed playing golf, collecting stamps, watching sports and Wheel of Fortune, caring for his cats, his beagles Auggie Doggie, Charlie Brown and later in life he loved being a Papa to his grandchildren Faith and Jo-Jo. He is survived by his wife Joyce, his son Bernie, his daughter Suzan and her husband Joseph Parle, and his two grandchildren Faith and Joseph Jr.
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