John Francis McCreary

August 14, 2019

John Francis McCreary passed away in his home in Dumfries, Virginia on August 14, 2019. He was born in St. Louis, MO on November 26, 1946, to Eugene and Mary McCreary and was the third of their five children. He attended a Catholic seminary for high school but ultimately decided against becoming a priest and went to the University of Illinois, graduating magna cum laude in 1968. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. Later in 1968, he moved to Northern Virginia and became an intelligence research analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency. In January of 1969, he married Linda Chalmers. In 1975 he graduated from Georgetown Law Center with a juris doctorate. He was a member of the Virginia State Bar. From 1980 to 1992 he was the senior analyst and director of the National Warning Staff in the Office of Central Intelligence. In 1992 he served as the lead attorney-investigator for the Senate Select Committee for POW/MIA affairs. From 1993 to his retirement from the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2006, he was the senior analyst in the Directorate of Intelligence, J2, Joint Staff in the Pentagon. He was promoted to senior rank in the first class of Defense Intelligence Senior Level Experts in DIA. At his retirement, he was the senior ranking Defense Intelligence Senior Level Expert in the agency and in the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He received dozens of commendations, citations, medals and awards from the Intelligence Community, the CIA and the DIA. In 2004 he received a Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service, the only DIA analyst to have received this award. He was the principal author of NightWatch, a daily threat summary newsletter, since its inception in 1993. After his retirement from the government, he continued writing NightWatch, and at the time of his death was publishing it himself. He also was a mentor and teacher, specializing in his brand of analysis. He was active in his community, both coaching youth soccer and teaching CCD at various churches. He was a devout Catholic, rarely missing Mass. He was well-traveled and collected art from all over the globe. Ultimately, he devoted his life to his country and was a true patriot. He is survived by his two children, Melissa and Timothy McCreary, two grandsons, several siblings and many good friends. Services will be held at Miller Funeral Home, 2300 Golansky Blvd, Woodbridge, Virginia on Monday September 2, 2019 at 2:00 PM. Reception to follow at Old Hickory Golf Club, 11921 Chanceford Drive, Woodbridge, Virginia, 22192 Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the League of POW-MIA Families.