Rudolph W . Riefkohl Colonel Rudolph William Riefkohl ( 1885 – November 13 , 1950 ) , was an officer in the United States Army , who played an instrumental role in helping the people of Poland overcome the 1919 typhus epidemic . Early years . Riefkohl ( birth name : Rudolph William Riefkohl Jaimieson ) was born and raised in the town of Maunabo , Puerto Rico . He was the oldest of five siblings born to Luis Riefkohl y Sandoz and Julia Jaimieson . His younger brother was Frederick Lois Riefkohl , the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and to be awarded the Navy Cross for his actions in World War I , who retired from the Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral His other siblings were Helen , Emily and Louise Riefkohl . A special map . In the spring of 1898 , as a young 14 year old , Riefkohl was involved in a curious encounter with an American spy on the eve of the Spanish - American War . As recounted by the spy , Edwin Emerson , Jr . in " Century " magazine in September 1898 , Emerson , who was pretending to be a German journalist , had been given Riefkohl ' s father ' s name by the German consul in St . Thomas . Upon his arrival in the town of Maunabo he met young Rudolph and asked the lad in German if he had a map of Puerto Rico ( Emerson had lost his ) . Riefkohl answered that he did , but it was decidedly too big for Emerson ' s use . Riefkohl returned home , not knowing that Emerson was a spy , and quickly drew another map with a depiction of the major ports and harbors of Puerto Rico . It is believed that Emerson gave Riefkohl ' s map to another spy , Lieutenant Henry Howard Whitney , who posed as a British crew member in the furnace - room of the merchant ship , and that Whitney gave the map to General Nelson A . Miles , thereby influencing the general ' s decision as to the disembarkation points for the invasion of Puerto Rico . A Photostat copy of Riefkohl ' s map was published in the " Century " article . After the war Riefkohl moved to the United States and concluded his secondary education in Concord , Massachusetts , serving as a cadet in the Sixth Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteers , the same regiment that saw service in the southern areas of Puerto Rico in 1898 during the Puerto Rico Campaign . In 1910 , Riefkohl earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) . Military career . In 1911 , Riefkohl joined the regular army and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant . When the United States declared war on Germany in World War l , he was assigned to the 63rd Heavy Artillery Regiment in France and actively participated in the Meuse - Argonne Offensive . According to the United States War Department , on April 1 , 1918 , Riefkohl served as Captain of Coastal Artillery at the Letterman Army Medical Center in Presidio of San Francisco , in California . His commanding officer was Colonel Henry Howard Whitney . Whitney asked him if he knew the Riefkohl family of Maunabo . Upon realizing that Riefkohl was the lad that drew the map which he , Whitney , had handed to General Miles during the Spanish - American War , they became good friends . In June 1919 , Col . Harry L . Gilchrist was informed to assist Poland in coping with its typhus epidemic . He emphasized the necessity of having trained personnel to deal with the emergency and to instruct the Poles with the use of the equipment being purchased . General John J . Pershing had decided that organizational matters should be handled by General William Durward Conner , who in turn instructed Lieutenant Colonel Frank E . Estes , of the Army Service Corps , to mount the expedition . Estes then dispatched Riefkohl , who was then a Major , and Captain Pumhrey to Brest , France where they were instructed to assemble a new command . The Army Service Corps at Brest was organized into two separate units and later reorganized into a battalion commanded by Riefkohl . Riefkohl ' s battalion was successful in its mission and played an instrumental role helping the Poles overcome their epidemic . However , since the Red Army was approaching their command in what is known as the Polish - Soviet War , Riefkohl and his comrades were transferred to Danzig , which was under British control . Riefkohl was awarded the Polish Commemorative Medal for the War of 1919 - 1921 and transferred to United States Army of Occupation in Germany . Riefkohl was among the Army officers who attended and graduated from the third course of the Army Industrial College which was held from February 2 , 1925 to June 30 , 1925 He also attended and graduated from the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle , Pennsylvania and Quartermaster Corps School of the French Army in France . Riefkohl obtained a Master ' s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1935 . As war broke out in Europe , in 1939 , he was instrumental in the planning and construction of Punto Borinquen ( Ramey ) Air Base in Aguadilla . During World War ll Riefkohl served in various administrative positions , among them : Director of supply of the 3rd Service Command at Baltimore , Director of Business Administration at Quartermaster Corps School and Assistant Commandant of the Army Industrial college in Philadelphia . Riefkohl retired as a Colonel in the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1945 . Later years . Riefkohl and his wife moved to Surfside , Florida . There he became a member of the Surfside City planning board and of the Military Order of the World War . He ran for mayor of Surfside and was elected in May 1949 . Riefkohl ' s term as mayor was short lived because he soon fell ill and on November 13 , 1950 , died of a heart attack . He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery . Riefkohl was survived by his wife Aimee Preston . Awards and decorations . Among Riefkohl ' s military awards and decorations are the following : Foreign award Further reading . The American Polish Typhus Relief Expedition , 1919 - 1921 By Alfred E . Cornebise , Published 1982 , University of Delaware Press , ISBN 0 - 87413 - 216 - 9