Dorothy Dwyer died in 2019 but the Dorothy Dwyer Fund, managed by American Legion Post 44 in Ridgefield, carries on, keeping the World War II hero’s legacy alive with young people of Southwest Washington

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

It was 83 years ago when she enlisted.

It was seven years ago when she was the grand marshall of the legendary Ridgefield Fourth of July Parade.

It has been six years since she has passed.

World War II veteran Dorothy Dwyer lives on, though, by way of the American Legion, and through the young people who have served their communities, their country, after accepting scholarship funds in her name.

“That was one way to keep mom’s legacy alive,” said Mary Holbert, the youngest of Dorothy’s four children. “She is not going to be a veteran who is going to be forgotten.”

American Legion Post 44, based in Ridgefield, uses the Dorothy Dwyer Fund to help offset the costs of young students participating in civics and government programs. Earlier this week, the post highlighted Ridgefield High School student Nathan Kim, Seton Catholic High School student Roberto Valdez, and Kaia Offutt, a homeschool student from Castle Rock. All three received funds from the Dwyer Fund, which was established soon after Dorothy passed on July 3, 2019 at the age of 98.

Dorothy Dwyer rarely spoke about her time in service. Her children did not know until later in her life all that their mom accomplished.

Dwyer served overseas in Algiers on Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s staff. She was a speed typist and a code breaker. Dwyer was one of a select few in a top secret program.

Mary Holber said she and her siblings barely knew anything about this when they were raised. 

“I didn’t really know my mom as a World War II veteran, to be honest,” Holbert said.

“I didn’t grow up as a child with a World War II hero. I grew up with Dorothy Dwyer, my mom, who was very unassuming. She would make things happen, but she didn’t draw attention to herself.”

Like so many of her colleagues in The Greatest Generation, Dwyer did not talk much about her service until later in life.

Dorothy moved from Gig Harbor to Ridgefield, to live near Mary, when Dorothy was in her 80s. It was around that time that the local American Legion members realized who was now living in Clark County.

“When they realized what a gem just landed in their backyard, they were blown away,” Mary said. “They were the ones who said, ‘Does everyone understand who we have here?’”

Mary and her mother did not even know that Dorothy was eligible for veterans benefits. But once they started showing up at the Vancouver VA campus, Dorothy became a celebrity of sorts — a true woman hero from World War II.

That is when Mary started to learn how her mom joined the war effort and what she did for America.

Dorothy Dwyer was among the first members of the Women’s Army Corps out of Boston. Her older brothers were drafted into service, and as soon as she was old enough, she enlisted, too — against her father’s will.

“I need to do this. I want to do this,” she told her father, according to Mary.

Many women in service back then were nurses who stayed stateside. Dorothy, though, had an incredible talent, able to type more than 100 words per minute. She excelled in shorthand, too. She was stationed overseas, first in Africa and then in Europe. It was learned that she helped decode messages, too.

Mary, family members, and friends were astonished by each and every detail.

“Her attitude was, ‘I don’t know what the big hoopla is now,’” Mary recalled.

Into her 90s, Dorothy did embrace her standing in the veterans community. In 2018, she was the grand marshall of Ridgefield’s iconic Independence Day parade.

Dorothy Dwyer passed away 364 days later at the age of 98.

In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations to start the Dorothy Dwyer Fund, to be managed by the American Legion. At first, it was to go to young women who wanted to serve, either through civics programs or potentially work toward attending a service academy. Today, the fund is used to help teen girls and boys who stand for country and duty.

Mary Holbert was at Post 44’s meeting earlier this week to hear from recent recipients of the fund.

“To see these young people … they, too, see and understand the value of protecting our country and serving our country,” Mary said. “My mom, tears would have come down her cheeks. She would be so happy. They are carrying a piece of her now. I left that night really feeling good.”

Mary said her mother would be proud of the American Legion’s drive to engage with young Americans.

“Her interest really was the youth and coming forward and helping support our country,” Mary Holbert said.