From a contemporary press report:
A career Army officer, Captain Benita died March 4, 1996 of heart failure at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.. The Odenton resident was 80.
He served 25 years in the Army before retiring in 1966 with the rank of captain. He served with the 5th Armored Division during World War II and also saw action in the Korean War. His decorations included the Silver Star, Croix de Guerre and Purple Heart.
After retiring, he became a civilian employee of the Army, working as supervisor of golf at Fort Meade. He retired again in 1975.
He was born and raised in New Haven, Conn., and earned an associate’s degree at the University of Maryland. He was active in Masonic affairs and the O’Malley Senior Citizens Center in Odenton.
Services with full military honors were held at 11 am on March 4, 1996 at Arlington, Virginia, National Cemetery. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, the former Elizabeth C. Pomichter; two sons, Bruce J. Benita of Severn and Benjamin J. “Buddy” Benita of Manassas, Va.; a daughter, Elizabeth R. Lang of Glendale, Calif.; and four grandsons.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard