Obituaries

Jack Forgy, 74, Colonel US Army (Ret.), Sept. 26 October 2, 2008 - No reporter cited

Colonel US Army (Ret.) Jack O. Forgy, 74, died at Fauquier Hospital in Warrenton, Va., Friday, September 26, after a long fight with lung cancer.

Jack Forgy was born in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 3, 1934 to Percy and Pauline Forgy.

He lived in the Washington DC area on and off since January 1967.

Forgy attended the United States Military Academy, Class of 1956, and graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1957. He was also commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant, Infantry in the regular Army where he served for 32 years. During his active service, Colonel Forgy served in a variety of Infantry, Personnel Management and Administrative assignments. He served in duty stations in the Pentagon; Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas; Ft. Hood, Texas; Ft. Bliss, Texas; Korea, Germany and two tours in Vietnam. He is also a graduate of the US Army War College in 1978 and earned an MBA in Computer Science from George Washington University. During the last 10 years of active service he developed and implemented a number of new computer based personnel information systems for The Department of the Army. When he retired he was Program Manager for SIDPERS-3.

Colonel Forgy’s military decorations include four awards of the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal as well as numerous overseas campaign medals.

Following Army retirement in 1985, he was a program development manager for computer companies. In 1993, he moved to Warrenton, Va., where he and his wife resided until his death.

In 1996, Jack Forgy again retired and devoted much of his time to performing volunteer research for members of the American WWII Orphans Network (AWON). In his research capacity, he determined the fate of over 300 soldiers who died in WWII; soldiers whose families knew only that they died, not how they died. His work was featured on a Tom Brokaw Dateline NBC News Special in 1999.

Colonel Forgy was a member of the Retired Officers Association, the Association of the US Army and the Army War College Alumni Association.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Crystal of Warrenton, Va.; two sons, John and Michael, of Fairfax, Va.; and a sister, Pamela of Bay City, Mich.

Funeral arrangements are by Moser Funeral Home of Warrenton, Va. Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery on December 17.

In lieu of flowers, donations maybe made to the American Cancer Society.

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