Joseph Cefaratti – Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army

From a contemporary press report:

Joseph Cefaratti, 84, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who spent the majority of his career as a helicopter pilot, died March 17, 1999 at his home in Springfield, Virginia. He had Alzheimer’s disease.

Colonel Cefaratti, a World War II and Korean War veteran, served 28 years in the Army, retiring in 1968. He then settled in the Washington area and worked about eight years as an adviser to Goodwill Industries in Washington.

He was a native of Uniontown, Pa., and a graduate of West Virginia University.

His marriage to Renee Cefaratti ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 27 years, Lelia Cefaratti of Springfield; two stepsons, Wayne Turpen of Lorton and Paul Turpen of Alexandria; two brothers, John Cefaratti and Donald Cefaratti, both of McLean; a sister, Flora Puglia of McLean; and six grandchildren.

CEFARATTI, JOSEPH Lt. Col USA (Ret.)

On March 17, 1999, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, beloved husband of Lelia Cefaratti. Also survived by his devoted brother-in-law, Frank Anderson; sister, Flora Puglia; brothers, Donald and John Cefaratti; stepsons, Wayne and Paul Turpen; beloved grandfather of Michael, Christie, Lindsay, Megan Turpen, Mark Brown and Gordon Devine, and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Graveside services will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, March 30 at 9 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Northern Virginia, P.O. Box 922, Falls Church, 22040-0922.

Michael Robert Patterson

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