Zwillinger addresses Exchange Club

Fishkill -- When one woman’s son became a casualty of the war in Iraq back in 2005, she knew right away that her fallen son would become a guiding light, but little did she know that he would take her to where she is today.

“You can’t take away the tears; those will always be there,” said Paula Zwillinger of Lagrangeville. “But he has given me a path to lead, and instead of being the one to know, I’m kind of now being put in the driver’s seat.”

Zwillinger was given a Meritorious Service Award Tuesday by the Exchange Club of Southern Dutchess for her work on the creation and ongoing efforts of the Semper Fi Parents of the Hudson Valley, a network group for family members of military personnel in the region.

Zwillinger started the organization just shortly after her son, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Robert Mininger, lost his life during battle in 2005; she said her ideas came to fruition even before then, and she has since dedicated her life to the support group for parents and family members in all branches of the military.

“It started from a parent and a need to know. When my son left for boot camp, nothing came to me as a parent packet. The day after my son went to boot camp, I kept a diary and after graduation went back to them (the recruiters), and said ‘this is what you need for parents,’ and then that grew.”

Semper Fi Parents of the Hudson Valley currently has 60 families in its network, and is constantly growing, according to Zwillinger. She said she randomly receives calls from out of the state, and on occasion, out of the country, from families of Hudson Valley military personnel asking how they can help.

Zwillinger said her personal mission has recently extended beyond helping the families cope with not having a loved one around, and into the realm of veteran healthcare.

She had recently visited a veterans’ hospital in Germany, and several veterans care clinics here in the states, and said she will now also devote much of her time petitioning for Department of Veterans Affairs’ healthcare reform.

Zwillinger received proclamations during the Exchange Club event from Town of Fishkill Supervisor Joan Pagones and Dutchess County Legislator Rob Weiss, both Semper Fi parents.