Counterintelligence Officer, 'Devoted Pop-Pop' Remembered

Around Vienna and McLean, few people were strangers to James Christensen.

The 66-year-old wasn't born and raised in Vienna, but when the former United States Air Force Counterintelligence Officer settled his family in town in 1977 he was quick to plant his roots deep, coaching Vienna Youth Soccer, becoming a regular at Da Domenico's and also at Yama Sushi on Maple Avenue, where he relished dishes similar to the cuisine he learned to love while stationed in Japan.

It was on the way to Christensen's favorite local Japanese restaurant, Tachibana in McLean, on Friday that he suffered a heart attack, He died later that night at a local hospital.

In the days since, friends and family have remembered a man dedicated to his community and career, balancing both with a sense of humor that made him fast friends wherever he went.

"Anybody who had a five minute conversation [with Christensen] invariably had a chuckle or two in there as he loved to make people laugh and loved to laugh himself, usually at himself," his son Buddy Christensen said this week.

Christensen was born in 1945 in California, but spent most of his childhood in Alexandria, Va and Dayton, Ohio before enrolling in the Naval Academy. He graduated with an engineering degree in 1967 before going into the Air Force.

Christensen was twice stationed in Tachikawa, Japan, where his son Buddy and daughter Aline were born in 1970 and 1973, respectively.

During his military career in the United States Air Force, Christensen served as a counterintelligence officer and a special agent in the Office of Special Investigations, where he directed, supervised and conducted numerous criminal, fraud, intelligence and security investigations in domestic and foreign assignments. 

He worked for Ross Perot and Booz Allen in the 1970s and also earned a Master of Science Degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

In 1977, the family settled in Vienna in a house Christensen continued to live in with his wife Vicki until his death. A car lover, he went frequently to Cedar Park Shell to talk shop with the guys who took care of his prized car: a 1985 Porsche 911.

"He kept in good enough shape that people would think it was only a few years old," Buddy Christensen said.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Christensen was a die-hard Yankees fan — as a child, he met Mickey Mantle in the team's hotel, Buddy Christensen said.

"He never lost his love for the Yankees," Buddy Christensen said. Christensen became an even bigger fan later in life — a highlight was seeing Derek Jeter's 3000th hit this past summer. 

To his own children, Christensen was a coach in Vienna Youth Soccer. He was also an agent for several professional golfers, and passed on a love of golf to both his children, they said. He belonged to Reston Country Club (now Hidden Creek) and the family also played at Twin Lakes and Burke Lake. Buddy Christensen worked at Westwood Country Club to play in high school, and is now a member there.

For Buddy Christensen, the sport became a career: He worked part-time at McLean-based Golfdom during high school and full time since graduating from James Madison University. He's now president.

In his later years, Christensen founded a consulting firm, Capital Systems Resources, Inc., a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), headquartered in northern Virginia. After Sept. 11, he served as a desk officer and a case manager with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security at the United States Department of State, managing director of the security services division of Base Technologies, Inc., director of security for the WVC3 Group, Inc., and CEO of CH3 Services, LLC.

At the time of his death, Christensen held an active Top Secret Security Clearance from the U.S. Department of Defense.

He also served on several corporate boards, including as secretary and treasurer of The Touchdown Club Charities of Washington, D.C.

But one of James Christensen's favorite roles, Buddy Christensen said, was being 'pop pop' to his grandchildren Cole, Blake, Tyler, Ryan, Bryce and Lauren.

Christensen is survived by his mother, Sylvia Christensen of Arlington; his wife of 42 years, Vicki; his son and daughter-in-law, Buddy and Jody Christensen, and grandsons Cole, Blake and Tyler of Vienna; his daughter and son-in-law, Aline and Eric Major, and grandchildren Ryan, Bryce and Lauren of Tampa, Fla.; brothers John Christensen of Hollywood, Md and Thomas Christensen of Davenport, Iowa and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the United States Naval Academy Chapel. He will be inurned at the Naval Academy Columbarium. A reception will follow at the USNA alumni house, 247 King George Street, Annapolis, Md.

Christensen's life will be celebrated from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at Buddy Christensen's house, 2007 Westwood Terrace in Vienna. For more details, email buddy.christensen@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be sent in his honor to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.