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Contact Info
Home Town Honolulu
Last Address Dubuque, Iowa. Mount Calvary Cemetery.
Date of Passing May 26, 2014
Location of Interment Mount Calvary Cemetery - Dubuque, Iowa
LCdr, Dr. Newton Chun, MD Hawaii Territorial Guard and ROTC WWII, Korean War, Ret. U.S.N.R
Dr. Newton Chun was born on June 3, 1923 at Queens Hospital in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii. Growing up in Hawaii made for idyllic childhood. As a boy, the lush island paradise, including a pristine and undeveloped Waikiki Beach was his backyard and playground. His father died young and his mother, a Korean picture bride*, had to struggle to raise five children on her own during the Great Depression. Wishing for them a better life, she stressed the importance of higher education.
Newton dedicated himself to the rigors of the classroom. After graduating from Farrington High School he enrolled at the University of Hawaii where he hoped to lay the academic groundwork that would enable him to pursue a medical career. However, his plans were interrupted when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
In addition to his academic responsibilities at the University of Hawaii Newton was also a member of the schools venerable Hawaii Territorial Guard. This was the only senior ROTC unit in the country to see active duty during World War II. Cadet Newton Chun assisted the U.S. Armed Forces by lending his services as an ambulance driver. Being in such close contact with wounded soldiers and civilians was a profound experience for a young pre-med student. Not only did it strengthen his resolve to become a doctor, it made him consider the possibility of making surgery his specialty.
During the war years, the University of Hawaii temporarily closed its doors, forcing Newton to abandon his studies. Realizing that the dream of one day becoming a surgeon was in jeopardy, he immediately applied to medical schools on the mainland. In the interim, he worked at nearby Ford Island as an airplane mechanic while he waited for someone in college admissions office to rubber-stamp one of his applications. He was a reporter of university's newspaper, the Ka Leo o Hawaii until 1945. His excellent grades earned him a nod from Northwestern University. It was here where he received his B.S., M.S., and M.D. degrees.
After graduation from Northwestern medical school he fulfilled his surgical residency at nearby Presbyterian Hospital. Fascinated by the rapid advances being made in heart surgery, he decided to focus his attention on this burgeoning medical field. He completed his thoracic residency at Children's Memorial Hospital and the Chicago State Tuberculosis Sanitarium, and a fellowship in cardio-vascular surgery at the world-renowned Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Brown Mills, New Jersey.
After completing his medical training, he married Dubuquer Rosemarie Peschang on December 26, 1952 at Chicago's St. Jarlath's Catholic Church. The couple's marital bliss however was cut short when Newton was drafted into the Korean war after serving on a Pacific tour as Ships Medical Officer. Stationed in San Diego, where he served at the Balboa Naval Hospital. After the war he remained in the Naval Reserve, in Dubuque IA, for 16 years. Honorably discharged, he retired from the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander, the most senior of the junior officer ranks.
Other Comments:
Dr. Newton Chun, MD, was a board certified thoracic surgeon in Dubuque, Iowa.
Certifications & Licensure:
American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery.
American Board of Surgery, Surgery.
Awards, Honors, & Recognition:
Fellow (FACS), American College of Surgeons.
Professional Memberships:
American College of Surgeons - ACS, Member.
*The term picture bride refers to the practice in the early 20th century of immigrant workers (chiefly Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean) in Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States and Canada selecting brides from their native countries via a matchmaker, who paired bride and groom using only photographs and family recommendations of the possible candidates. This is an abbreviated form of the traditional matchmaking process, and is similar in a number of ways to the concept of the mail-order bride.
World War II/American Theater
From Month/Year
December / 1941
To Month/Year
September / 1945
Description The American Theater was a minor area of operations during World War II. This was mainly due to both North and South America's geographical separation from the central theaters of conflict in Europe and Asia. Thus, any threat by the Axis Powers to invade the mainland United States or other areas was considered negligible, allowing for American resources to be deployed in overseas theaters.
This article includes attacks on continental territory, extending 200 miles (320 km) into the ocean, which is today under the sovereignty of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and several other smaller states, but excludes military action involving the Danish territory of Greenland, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Aleutian Islands. The most well known battles in North America during World War II were the Attack on Pearl Harbor (the first attack on US soil since the Battle of Ambos Nogales), the Aleutian Islands Campaign, the Battle of the St. Lawrence, and the attacks on Newfoundland.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1942
To Month/Year
September / 1945
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories In addition to his academic responsibilities at the University of Hawaii Newton was also a member of the schools venerable Hawaii Territorial Guard. This was the only senior ROTC unit in the country to see active duty during World War II. Cadet Newton Chun assisted the U.S. Armed Forces by lending his services as an ambulance driver. Being in such close contact with wounded soldiers and civilians was a profound experience for a young pre-med student. Not only did it strengthen his resolve to become a doctor, it made him consider the possibility of making surgery his specialty
