On the 25th anniversary of their car crash off Dunderberg Mountain, Barbara “Charlie” Murphy and John Dodson were married recently at the Church of the Holy Innocents in Highland Falls.
Observing military, firematic and Irish traditions, the bride, who is an active member of the Highland Falls Fire Department, was delivered to the church via fire truck by Chief Erik Smith and former Chief Jerry Galu.
While the groom, a decorated Vietnam veteran and West Point graduate, chose to wear a kilt in the family tartan, his groomsmen also from the Class of 1968 and 67 sported USMA tartan kilts. Upon leaving the Church after the ceremony, the couple ran a gauntlet under crossed hooks held by the Fire Chiefs and the drawn sabers of the groomsmen.
A reception followed at the Hotel Thayer in the same room in which the couple first met in 1993.
Medal of Honor recipient Paul Bucha gave a ‘keynote toast’ during the celebration. He and John had had dinner in Tehran the night before John’s capture and eventual Argo-like escape during the Iranian revolution. Mr. Bucha commended the patriotism of the groom and the fortitude of the woman marrying him.
More recently, John has been working here and in Washington on projects to protect the electric grid. Charlie retired from state government as Assistant Secretary of State in 2007 and stepped down from village office last March.
Future plans for the couple include what they describe as “fun — teaching swing dance as volunteers for The Center.”
