William J. Varley – Lieutenant Colonel, United States Marine Corps

From a contemporary press report

William J. Varley, 78, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and combat World War II veteran, died of congestive heart failure June 9 at his home in Herndon.

Colonel Varley, a native of New York, entered the Marines in 1938. As he was promoted through the ranks, he saw World War II combat in the Pacific in the battles of Iwo Jima, Cape Gloucester and Guadalcanal. He was awarded the Bronze Star at Iwo Jima.

He later served as a demolition and a photo and printing instructor at the Quantico Marine Base and Marine Corps headquarters in Washington before his retirement in 1968. That year, he joined defense contractor Vitro Laboratories, working mainly as assistant head of the imaging department for about 20 years until retiring in 1992.

His wife, Blanche R. Varley, died in 1993. Survivors include two children, Deborah Greenstreet of Clifton and William H., of Herndon; a sister, Frances Connolly of Jackson, N.J.; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

William J. Varley, 78, Marine Corps Officer

Of Herndon, VA on Tuesday, June 9, 1998 at his residence; beloved husband of the late Blanche R. Varley; father of Deborah Greenstreet and William H. Varley; brother of Frances Connolly. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Graveside services will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, July 14 at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Hospice of Northern Virginia, 6400 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 1000, Falls Church, VA 22042.

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