Alan N. Christensen – Colonel, United States Army

From a contemporary press report:

Alan N. Christensen, 57, a retired Army colonel who later was a civilian engineer for defense contractors, died July 20, 1999 at Inova Fairfax Hospital of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Colonel Christensen, who lived in Springfield, was born in Atlanta. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1964.

His military career included service in air defense artillery units and with the joint staff at the Pentagon, and he was posted in Vietnam, South Korea, Germany and in various locations around the United States.

Mr. Christensen established residency in the Washington area 25 years ago.

In 1990 he retired from the Army. Since then he had worked for ARES Inc., SRS Technologies and TRW Inc.

Survivors include his wife of 34 years, Maria Christensen, and two children, Kenneth and Lisa, all of Springfield; a brother; and a sister.

CHRISTENSEN, ALAN, Col, USA (Ret.)

On July 20, 1999, of Springfield, VA. Beloved husband of Maria; loving father of Kenneth Warren and Lisa Marie Christensen; brother of Karen Christensen Cox and Richard Eric Christensen. . Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Monday, August 2, at 1 p.m. at Church of the Nativity, 6400 Nativity Lane, Burke, VA. Interment with full military honors to follow at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lou Gehrig Foundation, c/o Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N. Wolfe St., Meyer 5-119, Baltimore, MD 21287.

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