COLORADO SPRINGS — Emma Dwyer says her father was a very dedicated soldier.
"He dropped out of high school at 17 and went straight into the military," Dwyer said.
Dwyer was only a year-and-a-half old when her father shot and killed her mom on her mother's birthday and then turned the gun on himself.
"My brother took me upstairs, he locked us in the closet until police, paramedics, everybody came," Dwyer said.
She says her father had been suffering from PTSD from his Army service during Operation Desert Storm.
"A lot of people assume that I hate my dad for everything that happened, but they don't see the other side of it, everything that he did do, all the good that he did do," said Dwyer. "It was just an unfortunate circumstance that he couldn't get the help that he needed."
Her maternal grandparents took custody of her and her 5-year-old brother, Christopher.
"DHS had suggested my grandma put us in karate after my parents died...so that we're not just breaking down and that we can find something to put energy into," Dwyer said.
Since then, Dwyer has earned a black belt in karate and is taking lessons to become an instructor. For the last 10 years, Angels of America's Fallen has been paying for those classes and will do so until Dwyer turns 19 this July. AOAF paid for her hula classes, too.
"My grandma was born in Hawaii, and she always went to Hawaii, and I always loved watching hula dancers," said Dwyer. "I thought I might give it a try, and I was good at it, so I decided to stick with it."
The non-profit based in Colorado Springs covers the costs of after school activities for children who lose parents in the military or first responder careers.
But Angels of America's Fallen CEO Joe Lewis was determined to help beyond the karate studio. Lewis helped Dwyer apply for and receive a full-ride college scholarship offered by the Battlefield Commander Foundation.
"He said, 'If you'd be interested in it let me know' and I said, 'Absolutely I'd be interested in it,'" Dwyer said. "I'd always thought about going to college, but never knew how I'd be able to afford it, how I'd be able to do it."
That scholarship is paying for her apartment and tuition as she studies event planning at Metropolitan State University in Denver. Dwyer says the relationship she's developed with Lewis and his wife, Shelli, and the other families involved in the program has been instrumental in her success.
"You can't do everything alone, even if you think you can," said Dwyer. "You have to have a strong circle like AOAF."
When asked what she hopes people hearing her story will think about her, Dwyer said, "Wow, she's come this far."
Dwyer will be speaking about her story of resilience at the Angels of America's Fallen Angel Gala on Saturday, April 26th at Hotel Polaris at the U.S. Air Force Academy. News 5's Dianne Derby will serve as one of the emcees. Click here for more information.
Right now, there are 554 children across the nation enrolled with Angels of America's Fallen, but there are 718 children on the waitlist. This map shows 44 of those children are in Colorado. If you would like to help click here.
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