More detail on this person: Dwight Lorenz was
born Bennington, Vermont, on August 16th 1932
(Bennington Battle Day). He joined the Vermont
National Guard as an Infantryman in 1948,
graduated from Bennington High School in 1950 and
entered active duty with his Guard unit in
September of that year. By the summer of 1951 he
had received accelerated promotions to the rank of
Sergeant First Class (E-6), received credit for
one year of college through the Army testing
program and qualified for attendance at Officer
Candidate School.
After completion of the mandatory Leadership
School, Lorenz was assigned to the Field Artillery
Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill Oklahoma and
graduated in July of 1952. He inunediately
underwent Parachutist and Jumpmaster
qualification at Fort Benning, Georgia, enroute to
assignment to the 82nd Airborne Division where he
served until transferred to the 2nd Infantry
Division in Korea in February 1953. Duties there
included Forward Observer, then Firing Battery
Executive Officer. As a newly promoted First
Lieutenant, he Commanded of the 2nd Division
Artillery Headquarters Battery. In March of 1954
he returned to the 82nd and served in operations
and intelligence staff positions until selection
for Army Flight Training in December of 1955.
After graduation from Fixed Wing Flight Training
in August of 1956 Lorenz was assigned to the 2nd
Armored Cavalry Regiment. He obtained Instrument
and Rotary Wing Flight Qualifications prior to
movement of the regiment to Germany in 1958
where he served as Aviation Officer of the
regiment's 2nd Battalion and, with one additional
aviator, was responsible for twice-daily border
surveillance flights and additional Battalion
support missions. Upon promotion to Captain in
February 1959, Lorenz was re-assigned as V Corps
Artillery Aviation Officer, a position authorized
for a Lieutenant Colonel. Upon return to the
United States he attended the Air Defense
Advanced Course in 1961 and then was assigned to
Fort Devens, Massachusetts as Airfield Operations
Officer and later as Airfield Commander/Post
Aviation Officer.
In January of 1963, he received telephonic orders
to report to Fort Benning, Georgia, within two
weeks. He was one of the early arrivals in the
11th Air Assault Division (Test) and participated
in revolutionary development of the Air Assault
concept as 11th Aviation Group Adjutant in the
rank of captain, and as a newly promoted major
was the original Battalion Executive Officer and
later Company Commander during the formation
and operation of the 228th Assault Support
Battalion, which was the first such unit equipped
with the CH-47 (Chinook) in the US Army. The test
phase terminated in 1965 with redesignation of the
Division to 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and
assignment to Vietnam, with Lorenz serving as
Aircraft Maintenance and Supply Officer and then
Acting Deputy within the G-4 Section of Division
Staff. This assignment ended abruptly due to
Falciperum Malaria, and he was evacuated to the
Army Hospital at Camp Zama, Japan, for
recovery.
Upon return to Vietnam in December of 1965 he
was assigned to the Aviation Staff Section at US.
Army, Vietnam (USARV) where he remained until
February of 1966 when he was designated Adjutant
and Acting Brigade Executive Office of the 1st
Aviation Brigade with the responsibility of
acquiring the staff and equipment needed to render
the new Headquarters "Operational" in the shortest
period oftime possible. This task was accomplished
in with the new organization becoming operational
in just twenty-nine days. He extended his Vietnam
tour by four months to provide continuity to
operations and administration, and was assigned to
Germany in December of 1966.
Major Lorenz's initial assignment in Germany was
as Executive Officer of the 18th Aviation
Battalion upon its activation in Hanau. He was
responsible for the selection, training and
supervision of the Battalion Staff and oversight
of the operation of Hanau Army Airfield and
remained in that position until selected for
promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, at which time he
was transferred to V Corps Headquarters where he
served as Assistant Corps Aviation Officer until
promoted in May of 1967, at which time he
assumed the duties of Corps Aviation Officer. In
June of 1968 he was transferred to Headquarters,
US. Army Communications Zone, Europe
(USACOMZEUR, short title "COMZ") until
reassignment to the Combat Development
Command's Intelligence Agency at Fort Holibird,
Maryland in August of 1969 where he served as
Chief of the Studies Division until retirement on
31 August 1970. It was during this year that the
Department of the Army awarded him Constructive
Credit for completion of the Army Command and
General Staff College in lieu of attendance. He
was one of ninety-two officers selected Army
wide.
Immediately upon retirement Lorenz attended the
University of Tampa and completed studies for a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics and
Business Administration, which was conferred in
May of 1971. He then returned to Germany, per
plan, and took with him an appointment as
European Director of Military Programs for the
University of Tampa, a program which he had
devised while a student, the primary purpose of
which was to provide counsel and guidance to
military personnel regarding course and testing
selection while in Germany with the objective of
preparing college level students for participation
in the military sponsored active duty degree
completion program, commonly called "Bootstrap".
During this time he also was engaged as a
consultant by the Boeing Vertol and Motorola
Corporations, Aircraft Accident Investigator for a
New York insurance company, Contract
Administrator for a Washington, D.C. firm and
Managing Director of an import/export firm. During
1978 and 1979 he attended the Boston University's
Heidelberg Campus night school and earned a
Master of Arts Degree in International
Relations.
In 1980 the Lorenz family relocated to Bennington,
Vermont, where they still reside. He became
extremely involved with veterans, civic and
fraternal organization administration and projects
and, as member of the Retired Reserve, Lieutenant
Colonel Lorenz was recalled to active duty in
January of 1991 as a result of the Desert Storm
Mobilization Program. He was responsible for the
voluntary recall of some 200 retiree friends and
referrals to assist with the emergency, and was
instrumental in overseeing their assignment and
orientation, as well as being the staff officer in
charge of Casualty Operations planning and
coordination at military installations in the
United States and Puerto Rico. He was released
from active duty with a cumulative total of 42
years, 11 months and 23 days of active and
inactive military service.
Shortly thereafter, Lorenz was engaged by a
civilian contract corporation to assist with the
writing a proposal for support of Army forces in
Kuwait, among several other military related
studies and plans. The Kuwait proposal was
accepted by the Army, and Lorenz became
manager of one of the branches responsible for
contract execution in Kuwait during 1992. Upon his
personal contract termination he remained in
Kuwait until the end of 1994 as an independent
consultant and writer. Since returning to Vermont
he has resumed involvement in political, veteran
and civic groups and projects. In recognition of
his outstanding service to the nation, his
military profession, and community he was inducted
into the Field Artillery Officer Candidate School
Hall of Fame during ceremonies held in 1997.
Lieutenant Colonel Lorenz is a Senior Army
Parachutist, Senior Army Aviator (Rated in both
Fixed and Rotary Wing Aircraft.), and holds the
Vietnamese Army Parachutist Badge. For his
service contributions he received two awards of
the Legion of Merit; two Bronze Star Medals,' the
Meritorious Service Medal; two Air Medals; four
Army Commendation Medals, the Vietnamese
Cross of Gallantry with Two Palms, and numerous
service ribbons, among which are three awards of
the National Defense Service Medal (one of 1,425
to receive the third award.) and the Armed Forces
Reserve Medal with 20 Year Hourglass and
Mobilization Devices.
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 04/13/2025
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