Obituaries : * George L. Monahan Jr.; Directed ‘Star Wars’ Program

George L. Monahan Jr., 59, former head of the “Star Wars” missile defense program and vice president of Loral Corp. Monahan, who lived in Falls Church, Va., served in the Air Force for 35 years. He flew 122 combat missions as a command pilot in Southeast Asia. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1986 and named director in 1989 of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization in the office of the secretary of defense. He headed the Star Wars program until he retired from the service in 1990. Monahan later joined Loral, a military electronics and space communications company. On Thursday in San Jose of a heart attack.