From a contemporary press report
James D. Nicholson, Lieutenant Colone, United States Marine Corps (retired), age 53, of Fairfax, Virginia, passed away June 23, 2003 after a brief illness.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Dianne; his son, Christopher Nicholson of Falls Church, Virginia; his daughters, Kathryn Bowdridge of Maiden, Massachusetts, Shannon Miller of Phoenix, Arizona and Kimberly Nicholson of Fairfax, Virginia; his stepson, Richard Compton of Falls Church, Virginia; two brothers, John and Joseph of Everett, Massachusetts; one sister, Carol of Boston, Massachusetts; three nieces, one nephew, four grandchildren and a host of other devoted family and friends.
Colonel Nicholson was a 30 year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp. He began his distinguished career as a rifleman in Vietnam. In 1978, he received his BA in criminal justice from Park College in Parkville, Missouri, and was commissioned as a Counterintelligence Officer. His career was highlighted by assignments throughout the world, including service as military attache at the U.S. Embassy in Manila Philippines and command of a special operations/intelligence detachment.
He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Joint Service Command Medal, the Navy Command Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Joint Merit Unit Award and numerous other medals and citations. Immediately prior to his death, he was employed as a counterintelligence analyst with SYColeman Technologies in Alexandria, Virginia.
A Memorial Service will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 at Fort Myer Chapel. Interment will Full Military Honors will follow at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
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