Bron Mogenis is a very unusual man.
Although he doesn’t seem to think so.
He presents himself as an “Everyman,” who is no different than millions of other Americans who take advantage of living in this country.
Mogenis emigrated here from Europe when he was a teenager.

“I spoke four languages,” he said, “none of which were English. In trying to learn English at the school I had attended in Austria, my English teacher advised me to forget it and take up music instead.”
Speaking in perfectly enunciated English, the Lithuanian-born Mogenis addressed a class of juniors at Wildwood Catholic High School May 6. His message was straightforward: “The U.S. is the only country I know where you can get what you want if you work hard and believe in the right things.”

Bron arrived in Elizabeth, New Jersey at age 14 and entered 9th grade. He must have been a quick study. After high school came a stint in the U.S. Army, then it was on to the University of Maryland by dint of the G.I. Bill.
He was appointed to the Metropolitan Police in Washington, D.C., rising to the rank of sergeant, while also teaching at American University.

“But I was getting bored,” he noted. “So I decided on a career in the FBI.”
Mogenis spent 23 years as an FBI special agent, focusing on counter-intelligence, espionage, and finally the diplomatic service.
“The problem is, when you reach the age of 55, they kick you out!” he laughed.
But mandatory retirement from the FBI did not mean retirement for Mogenis. He became an investigator for the House Appropriations Committee.
“My primary job was to see if our money was being spent correctly,” he said.
The special concern at the time was to ascertain if the funding for the war on drugs was being used effectively.
“I used to ask why we (U.S.) didn’t join forces with the South American farmers and convince them to grow crops other than drugs,” he said.

Presently, Mogenis is with the Lockheed-Martin Company, working with anti-terrorist technology. He explained to the students how today’s technology is helping to monitor airports and isolate possible danger signs.
Throughout his many years of dealing with security, Mogenis has become an international expert on counter-terrorism, advising such countries as Israel and Germany, as well as his own.
Although he and wife, Christa make their primary residence in Virginia, they have a summer home here in Villas, and a hunting ranch in Texas, run by his daughter, Julie, who is a judge.
The Mogenises also use the ranch for “wounded warriors,” as he refers to members of the military returning from combat. They recently had 75 amputees attending a huge gathering with an agenda of hunting, fishing, and in general, just relaxing.

“The idea is to get these amputees out of their depressed mode,” said Mogenis.
The ranch also cares for exotic animals that are on the endangered species list, returning them to the wild once they have eight healthy specimens.
Mogenis has advised numerous presidents, and was recently invited to meet Pope Benedict XVI at the White House during the pontiff’s visit here in April.
“We got within two feet of the pope,” he explained, “but because there were so many cardinals and congressmen there, we couldn’t get a private audience.”

During his talk to the Wildwood Catholic students, Mogenis tried to emphasize that if he—a foreigner who came here at age 14 and couldn’t speak the language—could make a success of his life, then surely these students had no less a chance at successful and interesting lives and careers.
“Whatever you want, use your imagination,” he urged. “You can do it.”