CW4 Ragatz entered active duty in February 1953 as a Private. He served as the S2 Sergeant with 317th Engineer Battalion (Combat) in Germany. After attending the Defense Language Institute, CW4 Ragatz served as an Operations Sergeant in the 502nd Communications
Reconnaissance Group when the Soviet Union invaded Hungary in 1956. As a young Noncommissioned Officer (NCO), he was Chief of a section ensuring the accuracy and smooth flow of product reports during this crisis.
Elizabeth Joan Ragatz
Birth
October 9, 1935
Death
August 29, 2024
Married June 4, 1955
William Thomas Ragatz Jr.
Born
October 16, 1935
Death
November 8, 1991
Children:
Patrick Gerald Ragatz 6-12-1956
Deborah Marie Ragatz 7-16-1958
James Dwayne Ragatz 8-26-1959
Tammie Marie Ragatz 5-4-1961
Partner Lisa Marie Foss 8-4-1967
Pamela Joan Ragatz 8-13-1962
William Victor Ragatz 9-4-1971
Married 6-26-2007 Traci Ragatz 8-10-1971
After further training at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, CW4 Ragatz became Collection Chief/Watch NCO for the US Army Field Station, Aibling, Germany. After serving at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, as an Instructor, he was appointed as a Warrant Officer and in 1965 became Collection Officer at the US Army Field Station, Hakata, Japan. During this tour, CW4 Ragatz was sent to Korea to provide expertise and assistance when the USS Pueblo was captured. For three months he worked around the clock to ensure policy makers at the Cabinet level had accurate and timely intelligence concerning the Pueblo Crisis.
In 1968, he was assigned as Collection Management Officer for the 330th Radio Research Company, Vietnam, where he maximized his limited resources to provide optimum intelligence support to the combat units located in the First Field Force. In 1969, he became Collection, Officer, US Army Security Agency Field Station, Herzogenaurach, Germany. In 1972, CW4 Ragatz served in the same position at the 7th Radio Research Field Station, Thailand. His unit received the National Security Agency’s Travis Trophy as the best Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) unit worldwide. Returning to the United States in 1973, CW4 Ragatz served as an Academic Division Chief at Fort Devens before attending the Warrant Officer Senior Course. In 1976, he was assigned to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where he developed and taught Warrant Officer training at the US Army Intelligence Center and School. Over the next six years, CW4 Ragatz wrote the initial Program of Instruction for the first Warrant Officer Advanced Course and served as the Senior Faculty Advisor, Course Director, and
SIGINT Instructor.
After retiring from active duty in February of 1982, CW4 Ragatz worked as a civilian contractor in intelligence-related fields in private industry for two years. In July of 1984, he returned to the Intelligence Center and School as a Department of the Army Civilian in the Directorate of Combat Developments. Working in the Fielded Systems Branch, Tactical Software Division, CW4 Ragatz employed his years of experience with battlefield automated Intelligence and Electronic Warfare systems in the application of tactical software development and the Interim Signal Source Processor-SIGINT. He was
also selected by MG Sidney Weinstein, the Commander of the school, as part of a small team of MI experts to write and brief “The MI Story” to major commands worldwide. CW4 Ragatz is widely recognized as one of the architects of the present-day Signals Intelligence discipline.
CW4 Ragatz’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), the Army Commendation Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), and numerous service medals.
Liz’s Life Journey
Early Life and Family Background
Liz was born in Elba, a small Polish town in mid Nebraska where her family settled in the late 1800s. Her father worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, having previously played in the Lawrence Welk Band. Her mother con tributed to the war effort during World War II, just as many women did at the time. Liz’s family later moved to Columbus, Nebraska, where she grew up caring for her mother from the age of 12 until her mother passed away when Liz was 16.
Education and Early Career
While living in Columbus, Liz worked as a bookkeeper for Johnny Carson’s father. During high school, she was a talented piano player and hoped to pursue music after graduation. However, she fell in love with Bill Ragatz and married him,
beginning her life as an Army wife and traveling the world through various military assignments both stateside and overseas.
Family Life and Musical Talents
Liz and Bill had six children, four born in Germany and two in Columbus, Nebraska. During a visit to the Vatican, Liz was pregnant with Pamela and received a personal blessing from Pope John, who placed his hand on her stomach. While stationed in Japan, Liz gave piano lessons to military children and played the organ at church on Sundays and during Christmas Eve services. Throughout her life, Liz found joy in playing the piano whenever she had free time.
Settling in Arizona and Professional Success
In 1976, Liz, Bill, and their family relocated to Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista, Arizona for one final military assignment. The following year, they moved into a new home in Sierra Vista, where they watched their children grow and pursue their own paths. Liz began her career as a real estate agent in 1977 and went on to become a highly successful broker, eventually owning her own company, Ragatz Western Ventures. For over 40 years, she was known for going above and beyond for her clients. Liz always prioritized her children and, after they grew up, focused her love on her grandchildren, dogs, and cats.
Personal Strength and Family Leadership
Liz lost her husband in 1991, which brought her family even closer together. She became the rock of her family, proud of her loved ones and capable of accomplishing any task with ease. Liz was admired by all who knew her, and she considered raising her children to be the most fulfilling experience of her life.
Legacy and Character
Liz was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend. Creative, artistic, reliable, and always positive, she was an endless source of love and support. Liz was selfless, deeply committed to her family and friends, and left a lasting impression of love and kindness on everyone she met.
CW4 Ragatz was inducted into the MI Hall of Fame in 1990. He passed away in 1991 in
Sierra Vista, Arizona, and was memorialized when Ragatz Hall was named in his honor
in 1992.
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