It's not too often that an area resident achieves the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. It's even rarer for an local individual to serve as an adviser to the Army's high command.

Lansford-born James Demyanovich accomplished both."I never imagined that I'd last 26 years in the Army," Demyanovich said. "Like a lot of people, I thought I would serve my first term and be done with it."Demyanovich, currently a resident of Springfield, Va., ended his multiple-decade career with a special ceremony at Virginia's Fort Belvoir July 22. The announcement of his retirement came on the heels of his receiving the Legion of Merit, an award given to members of the Armed Forces for exceptionally meritorious conduct which was bestowed upon him in April."I elected to retire myself," he said. "I was approaching my maximum time of service anyway, and I wanted to leave when it was most convenient for my family."Family is extremely important to Demyanovich. In fact, it was his close relationship with his father that first piqued his interest in a military career."When I was growing up, my dad used to tell me stories about serving with the Army Air Corps during World War II," Demyanovich said. "He would always say that the best people he met were the ones he encountered during his time in the military."True to his word, he kept in touch with them throughout the rest of his life, which is really striking when you think about it. This sentiment served as an inspiration for me."After graduating from Marian Catholic High School in 1980, Demyanovich attended Penn State University's Harrisburg campus as an engineering major, concentrating on energy technologies. With his father's stories weighing prominently on his mind, Demyanovich became a member of the school's ROTC program, which he claims played an important role in his later adult life."ROTC is one of the best programs a college can offer, and I really hope it continues to be hosted," he said. "It matures the young men and women enrolled within it and helps shape them into positive members of society."Demyanovich's civilian life ended in 1984, when he left Pennsylvania's capital behind to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Chemical Corps. The young recruit's educational background greatly assisted him, and it wasn't long before Demyanovich was climbing the ranks of military hierarchy."My specialty was strategic nuclear specialties," Demyanovich said. "It was my responsibility to determine how the Department of Defense's weaponized deterrents could play a role in the actual defense of our nation."This expertise was highly sought by the Army's leaders, and Demyanovich moved frequently around the country. He even served two separate tours of duty at a base in Germany.Despite this constant displacement, Demyanovich never saw active combat."All the units I've been assigned to have been to war, just not when I was with them," he said. "It's a matter of happenstance; that's just the way the military works."Throughout the entirety of his career, Demyanovich served as a staff officer, performing extensive research on chemical, nuclear and biological warfare. And, as he is wont to point out, since the United States has never entered into a war involving any of the three aforementioned threats, his presence was never required on the battlefield.His accomplishments are nonetheless impressive, and Demyanovich's final military assignment was to the Army's Defense Threat Reduction Agency."My primary responsibility was to review existing policies and make recommendations to the Army's leadership on strategic possibilities," he said.In this capacity, Demyanovich worked closely with the Joint Service and Department of Defense in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.And although he is no longer a card-carrying member of the military, Demyanovich is determined to remain in the national defense field."It's surprising that a lot of the military's services are supported by civilians," he said. "I'm definitely considering continuing my work in the government, though nothing definite has been determined yet."One thing that Demyanovich knows for certain, however, is that his father's perception of the military was spot on."In various situations, you encounter shining stars - people who are just naturally inspiring," he said. "At every assignment I was given, I met at least half a dozen people who fit that description."Everyone in the military that is committed to our nation's defense, no matter what branch, is a hero to me."