Served as a Pilot at Naval Air Station Porto Corsini, Italy (On the Adriatic Sea) during World War 1. Bergen was from Brooklyn New York, and a graduate of Cooper Union in New York City. He received a commission as a Naval Aviator training in Pensacola, Florida. He was subsequently assigned to Naval Air Station Porto Corsini (on the Adriatic Sea near Ravenna, Italy) where he served as a pilot. He was killed along with Gunner Thomas L. Murphy, on September 15, 1918 when their Macchi M8 Bomber, crashed due to a mechanical failure. His sacrifice is commemorated on a plaque at the Port of Ravenna, Italy.