From a contemporary press report:
Benedict B. Pagac Sr., 79, an Army Lieutenant Colonel who in retirement was a management analyst and security classification specialist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, died of cancer July 15, 2002, at Mariner Rehabilitation Center in Laurel, Maryland.
Colonel Pagac was born in Ashland, Wisconsin. He served 22 years in the Army, specializing in linguistics and counterintelligence, before retiring in 1966. His assignments included duty in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia; Oberammergau, Germany; and Tokyo. While serving in the Army, he graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in business administration.
On retiring, he settled in the Washington area, living in Columbia and then Laurel, and began his career at NASA, where he remained until retiring from federal service in 1985. Beginning in 1988, he worked for about two years as a security classification manager for Systems Planning Corp. in Arlington.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Sonja Z. Pagac of Laurel; Mary Anne Dettinger of Medford, New Jersey, and Benedict B.Pagac Jr. of Laurel; five sisters; a brother; and two grandchildren.
PAGAC, BENEDICT B., LTC, USA (Ret.)
On Monday, July 15, 2002, in Laurel, Maryland. Beloved husband of Sonja Z. Pagac; father of Mary Anne Dettinger and Benedict B. Pagac, Jr.; brother of Joseph Pajac, Tony Pagac, Anne Habanek, Helen Steffens, Mary Macek, Emily Hullin, Elizabeth Stipitich, and Hedwika Moritz. Also survived by two grandchildren. Inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery, August 21 at 1 p.m. Expressions of sympathy in his memory may be made to the Planetary Society,
65 N. Catalina Ave., Pasadena, CA 91106.
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