LTC Dwyer began by stating how much he has enjoyed being stationed at Hunter and how Savannah is a very military friendly community.  He then spoke about his third tour in Afghanistan when he was injured.  While out with his unit, they ran across 120 insurgents and his left hand was hit by a grenade with shrapnel going through his neck and arm.  He believes he is here because of the men in his unit who helped save his life.  While he was recovering at Walter Reed, he surrounded himself with positive people which helped aid in his recovery.  Another important part of his recovery was when his son visited him in the hospital.  His son didn't care that his daddy looked different.  All he wanted was his dad to recover so they could go play baseball.  Six months later, he decided he wanted to jump out of an airplane again so he could rejoin his unit.  After 3 weeks training, he was able to accomplish this goal and said that the leadership his Colonel showed him during that time allowed him to be the best version of himself.  

 

LTC Dwyer says we will all face a moment in life where we think we can't overcome the obstacle that lies ahead of us.  Adversity isn't unique to anyone.  He has three keys to help build resilience: 1.  Surround yourself with positive people.  2.  Find your purpose in life and commit to living it every single day (his purpose is to enhance the lives of the people he loves). 3. Have a sense of humor and be able to appreciate things that make you laugh.  He ended his talk by saying struggle makes us stronger.  We need to embrace it and if we do, it will make us better. He then read James 1:2-4 -  ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.