Army General David Petraeus, with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Dwan, of Westwood. The 23-year veteran, a Boston police officer, is serving as garrison commander of the New Kabul Compound.
WESTWOOD
Hockey, family hearten officer on Kabul tour
Army General David Petraeus, with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Dwan, of Westwood. The 23-year veteran, a Boston police officer, is serving as garrison commander of the New Kabul Compound.
Westwood resident Robert Dwan’s love of hockey is almost as fervent as his loyalty to his country. So while the
When he’s living on this side of the hemisphere, Dwan, 47, is a Boston police lieutenant and shift commander in the anticorruption unit. In his off time, he’s a husband, father of five, and an assistant varsity hockey coach at Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, where he once played.
In his second tour of duty with the Army National Guard, though, the lieutenant colonel and 23-year veteran is the garrison commander - or mayor - of the New Kabul Compound.
He is serving with the 26th Maneuver Enhancement Division - the “Yankee Division,’’ as it is known - at the sprawling US headquarters in Afghanistan.
A recent phone interview about life in the compound took place, as it turned out, just a day after dozens of US military personnel were killed when their helicopter was shot down by the Taliban.
Dwan’s comments were monitored and many subjects were off-limits in the interview, but he said he and everyone else deployed in Afghanistan is trained for risk.
“It’s dangerous everywhere,’’ he said. “But this is what you train for.’’
Dwan was upbeat about his work, and those he works with, despite the emotional and logistical strain of being far from home and in the middle of a war zone. That’s part of his job description, too.
“I’m in charge of the base and the infrastructure, but also the quality of life, health and safety, emergency medicine, and humanitarian patrols outside the base,’’ he said.
The unit also brings clothing and school supplies to area children, who are so thankful, he said, “they come running out and shake our hands.’’
Overall, he said, “the atmosphere here is very good.’’
Dwan oversees the housing and security of 1,200 military and civilian personnel and maintenance of all buildings.
He works with Afghan citizens, developed the Emergency Operations Center - similar to a 911 dispatch - and oversees a unified command comprising fire, medical, and police departments.
As a military police officer, Dwan is spending his year-long tour facilitating the transition of security responsibilities from the US military to the Afghanistan National Security Forces. He is scheduled to return home in January.
When he does, he will be welcomed with open arms, along with more than a dozen other Boston police officers currently deployed, said Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis.
Dwan began his training for the deployment in February at Texas’s Fort Hood and arrived in Afghanistan in April. He misses his parents, Patricia and Daniel Dwan of Hyde Park, his sister and three brothers, and his wife, Catherine, and children: Allyson, 17, Brittany, 16, Madyson, 14, Robert, 13, and Christopher, 11.
“I’m in touch daily, though, and everyone is doing well,’’ which helps, he said.
Loved ones send regular care packages packed with Tootsie Rolls, which are a favorite. And the compound is alive with activities to keep spirits up, he said.
Besides movies, dances, and other scheduled events, including a Humvee “push’’ contest, many at the camp are participating in a 1,000-mile-run challenge. Dwan has logged 700 miles in five months, gaining ground toward his goal by running either around the camp in the cool hours of evening, or on a gym treadmill.
He is a member of the First Corps of Cadets, the Army National Guard Red Legs Hockey Team, the Army National Guard Association, and the Boston Police Emerald Society.
He earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from Anna Maria College and a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing from Providence College, where his ROTC commander persuaded him to join the military.
Service, he said, runs in the family. Two brothers are also Boston police officers and an uncle was in the State Police. “We’ve always wanted to help our community,’’ he said.
The days are long in Afghanistan and the work is hard. What gets him through is the support of friends and family, his bosses back home, the ever-available supply of candy, and the hope that the
“Wouldn’t it be great to have all three?’’ he said. “That’s what I’m hoping for.’’
Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at michelebolton@live.com. 
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
