COL Philip Roy Dwyer

COL Philip Roy Dwyer was born 9 May 1900 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of the 2 children born to Phillip Michael and Louise C. (Maute) Dwyer. His sister was born just 2-years later. His father was a first generation citizen descendant of Irish immigrant parents. He worked at several jobs to support his family including in a saloon, as a hotel manager, as a foreman in a shipyard, and as an insurance agent and died in 1942. Philip began his military career as a PVT fighting in France and in October 1918 was sent to the prepatory course for the United States Military Academy at West Point and received an appointment in August 1919 joining the class of 1923 with which he graduated. 

Philip was commissioned as a 2LT on 12 Jun 1923. Philip married Mary Cecelia Gallagher of Philadelphia the following year. The year after that Mary gave birth to their first child, a daughter, at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was promoted to 1LT on 21 Dec 1927. He was stationed with the 15th Infantry in Tientsin, China where 1LT Dwyer served until 1930. It was in China where the couple's son was born in 1929. Philip was promoted to CPT on 1 Aug 1935. He was next promoted to MAJ on 1 Jul 1940 and attended the Command and General Staff College that year. Promoted to LTC on 24 Dec 1941. Promoted to COL on 30 Nov1942 he commanded the 153rd Infantry Regiment for 18-months in the Aleutians during the campaign to eject Japanese forces from there in 1941-1943. He attended the naval War college in 1944. Soon after that he took command of the 102nd Infantry Division in the United States where he led the division when it served to end the Philadelphia Transportation Company strike. He then went to Europe where he took command of the 116th Infantry Regiment in July 1944 replacing COL Canham who had been promoted and assigned as ADC 8th Division and held that command until November 1944 when COL Dwyer was reassigned yet again, this time to the command of the 407th Infantry Regiment in January 1945. He remained with the unit until February 1946 when the 102nd Division was deactivated after occupation duties in Germany. After the Korean War began he was sent to Korea, then Served in the office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, Washington, DC 1949-51, U.S. Army aid group in Turkey 1951- Chief of that mission 1953. COL Dwyer retired in 1954 and took up farming near Malvern, Pennsylvania. He died at Chester County Hospital in West Chester, Pennsylvania on 3 Dec 1985. 

COL Dwyer rests forever in the Saint Denis Cemetery in Havertown, Pennsylvania.

COL Dwyer was awarded the Silver Star (twice), Bronze Star (twice), Legion of Merit, and Army Commendation Medal (then a "ribbon"). He began a tradition of military service in his family. After the war he was active in veteran associations including the 102nd Division Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.