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Benjamin F. Schemmer, 71, who for 24 years was owner, editor and publisher of Armed Forces Journal International magazine in Washington, died of cardiovascular disease Oct. 12 at his home in Naples, Fla.
Mr. Schemmer was born in Winner, S.D., and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy. During the 1950s, he served in Army units in Germany and California.
In the late 1950s, he left active military service and worked for a period for Boeing aircraft before moving to the Washington area in 1965.
He worked for Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara at the Pentagon, then in 1968 purchased Armed Forces Journal International, where he was editor and publisher until 1992, when he retired and sold the magazine. The monthly magazine specialized in coverage of the international defense industry.
On retiring, Mr. Schemmer moved to Florida.
He wrote articles for The Washington Post, the Washington Star, and Washingtonian and New Republic magazines and had written cover stories for Look and Penthouse magazines.
He was author of four books about military affairs. In retirement, Mr. Schemmer was editor of the periodical Strategic Review, published by the U.S. Strategic Institute.
His first wife, Cynthia Blythe Schemmer, died in 1974. His marriages to LuAnne K. Levens and Monica Schubert ended in divorce.
Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth T. Schemmer of Naples, and a son from his first marriage, Clinton H. Schemmer of Fredericksburg.
Washington Post - Oct 14, 2003
