JOSEPH PATRICK DWYER
Fast Facts:
Age: 31 Enlisted in the Army 2 days after 9/11
War Fame: Boy in photo was a 4-year-old named Ali, whom Dwyer rescued from crossfire.
Unit: 3rd Squadron of the 7th Cavalry Regiment
Wife: Matina Brown Dwyer
Daughter: Meagan Kaleigh Dwyer
The 2003 photograph taken of Army medic Joseph Patrick Dwyer, carrying a wounded Iraqi boy through a battle zone, was reprinted in newspapers around the United States.
However, this war photo brought Dwyer an unwelcomed status of fame.
Dwyer later became the subject of reports about the darker side of his war experience:
PTSD
In October 2005, Dwyer once again made “headline news” when police responded to reports of gunfire in a residential part of El Paso, Texas. Dwyer was found to have fired the shots, apparently convinced that Iraqis were attacking him. He surrendered after a brief standoff.
After the 2005 standoff with police, his next "headline news" was the report of his fatal overdose in 2008.
On the night of June 28, 2008, Dwyer died at a hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina. According to reports, prescription pills and inhalants were found in his home, suggesting an overdose.
He reportedly called a taxi to come and take him to the hospital, but was unable to open the door when it arrived. The police kicked the door down and he was taken to the hospital where he later died.
Both of these incidents were reportedly fueled by his struggle with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.)
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(source: Army Times; By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer, Posted : Tuesday Jul 8, 2008 6:35:20 EDT)
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