By Jerry Vondas
COURTESY OF THE PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, November 4, 2007
As a retired military intelligence Air Force officer who spent 26 years on active duty, Major Sophia Dziadura, a former resident of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, was also recognized for her efforts in developing the Deinheim Orphanage in Germany in the years following World War II.
“Sophie loved children,” said her brother, Joseph Dziadura. “When she saw the plight of the children in Deinheim, she involved herself in raising funds to expand it.”
Following her discharge from the military in 1970, Major Dziadura, continued her devotion to those who served by remaining active with Military Family Services — an organization geared to helping families with parents on active duty.
A military funeral at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. is scheduled for December 13, 2007, for Major Dziadura, who died on October 5, 2007, at the Army Distaff Retirement Center in Washington, D.C. She was 80.
Born and raised in Carnegie, Pennsyvania, Major Dziadura was one of three children in the family of Stanley and Mary Dziadura.
In 1944, at age 17, Sophia Dziadura enlisted in the Navy, where she served for 12 years, Upon being commissioned in the Air Force, where she spent another 14 years, she had the opportunity to attend Hofstra College on Long Island, New York, University of Maryland and Maenz University in Germany, where she received her master’s degree in political science.
As an intelligence specialist, Major Dziadura was one of the first female Air Force officers to be sent to Vietnam, which was followed by tours of duty in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Major Dziadura is survived her a sister, Lotte Gerono of Bethel Park and a brother, Joseph Dziadura of Carnegie.
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