Obituary of Paul Goodrich Dwyer

PAUL GOODRICH DWYER, COLONEL (Ret.) USAF (Age 75) Paul G. Dwyer, Colonel (Ret.) USAF, died November 5, surrounded by family and friends at Reston Hospital Center. His work as an Air Force officer specializing in communications took him around the world, and confirmed in him a sense of enduring patriotism and service to others. Born November 21, 1939, in Franklin, Pennsylvania, Paul (known to childhood friends as "Punch") served in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years, enlisting at age 17 upon graduation from high school. He worked first as a radio and navigational aids repairman, assigned to Presque Isle AFB, Maine, where one day he and others watched from the tower as the renowned (but unknown to them) test pilot Jackie Cochran made an emergency landing in a top secret U2 spy plane. His next assignment took him to Berlin, Germany, where in 1961 he witnessed the construction of the Berlin Wall. Upon completion of the Air Force's Officer Candidate School (OCS) in 1962, Paul became a communications staff officer with assignments in South Carolina, Virginia and at the Pentagon. By 1964 Paul was sent to Viet Nam where he installed Direct Air Support and Close Air Support Nets for the South Vietnamese Army and their U.S. Army advisors. He loved flying around Viet Nam dangling his legs from helicopters, and later described this as an assignment where he felt he made a real difference. In 1977, after four years near Stuttgart, Germany, Major Dwyer was working for the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs, when he met and married his wife Cynthia. In 1978, Paul was stationed at a site on the Shah's private game preserve outside Tehran, Iran, just prior to the Iranian Revolution. One night he phoned Cindy to tell her he would be late for dinner because a lion was blocking the door to the building. Both he and Cindy were evacuated from Tehran in 1979, Paul on the last military plane out of the country. He felt the film Argo captured perfectly his experience at the airport where he was detained at gunpoint as a suspected CIA agent. Paul later served in the Reagan White House as Deputy Director of the White House Communications Agency, and retired from the Air Force in 1987 after his final assignment in Sembach, Germany. Paul earned degrees from the University of Nebraska, Webster University and the Air War College. His decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal. Paul and Cindy dedicated the past 12 years to supporting the wounded warriors and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and at Ft. Belvoir. Paul could work any room, and his off-beat humor and curiosity put the young women and men he met at ease. Paul and Cindy hosted many soldiers and their family members in their home, often sharing holidays with them. They organized 76 clothing distributions to provide gently-used clothing, including thousands of suits, to soldiers beginning new lives and careers. They also provided many ball gowns for various military balls and other occasions in the DC area. A two-time cancer survivor, Paul was an avid skier and runner for over 60 years. In addition to completing more than 40 marathons, Paul ran numerous 50-mile races prior to completing the Umstead 100-mile race in Raleigh, NC, at the age of 65 with a time just over 28 hours. He loved traveling with friends, visiting destinations as far flung as Russia and Patagonia. Ironically Paul was not fond of flying, preferring long road trips throughout the U.S., especially Alaska, the Rockies and the national parks of the west. Beloved by those who knew him, Paul will be remembered for the twinkle in his eye, his mischievous sense of humor, his love of music, his annual Christmas poem, his compassion for the less fortunate, and his ability to put anyone at ease, particularly the young soldiers at Walter Reed and Fort Belvoir. A celebration of Paul's life will be held at Westwood Country Club, in Vienna, Va., on Saturday, November 21 at 11:00 am. Please notify Cindy if you would like to attend. Paul will be buried with Full Military Honors at Arlington National Cemetery in the spring of 2016. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to: www.purplehearthomesusa.org http://www.segs4vets.org/ http://womengivingback.org/