MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER, PAUL BUCHA, TO SPEAK SEPTEMBER 22 ABOUT AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

Paul Bucha, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1970 for his involvement in the Tet offensive in Viet Nam, will speak at the weekly meeting of the Y's Men of Westport/Weston on Thursday, September 22nd, on the subject, "American Leadership in Iraq and Afghanistan Today: Lessons Learned."

Paul Bucha received a commission of Second Lieutenant of Infantry from West Point in 1965, received an MBA from Stamford in 1967 and joined the 101st Air Borne Rangers in 1967 and rose to Company Commander. Through his heroic actions with that famous unit during the Tet offensive in Viet Nam, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. That experience, combined with his broad business career, qualifies him to intelligently address the timely subject of our country's involvement with Iraq and Afghanistan.

Shortly after his return, Bucha was appointed Assistant Professor of Managerial Economics in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point. Upon resigning from the Army in 1972, he joined the investment banking firm of DuPont, Glore Forgan as Director of Branch Administration and Assistant to the President.  This began a seven-year association with Texas entrepreneur and US presidential candidate H. Ross Perot.  In order to assist with the merger of two of the nation's largest brokerage firms owned by Perot, Paul joined Electronic Data Systems Corporation and shortly thereafter, assumed the newly created position of Director of International Operations. 

In six years with EDS, he developed and managed all international business from his headquarters - first in Teheran, Iran and then in Paris, France.  When Paul left EDS in 1979 to form is own international finance, real estate and marketing firm, he was responsible for business operations in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, West Germany, France, Norway, Kuwait, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Japan and Nigeria.

Since 1979, Paul has developed the Paul W. Bucha and Company, Incorporated (PWBCO) into a diverse privately owned company.  PWBCO was one of the founders of Port Liberte, a $1.2 billion real estate development along the waterfront of New York Harbor, in Jersey City, New Jersey. PWBCO was also involved in such diverse real estate projects as Sugarloaf USA, a golf/ski resort in Maine, and Half Moon Bay, a residential community on the Hudson River in Croton, NY. PWBCO is currently involved in the international and domestic marketing of a variety of products and services in both the high technology and industrial markets.

Besides his own firm, Paul is a Director of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Corporation and Director of M Group Resorts, owner/operator of Jalousie Plantation on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia.  He is a Trustee of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City; Director of Veteran's Bedside Network; and a Director of the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Foundation.  In addition, he's active in a variety of veteran organizations including the American Legion, United States Army Ranger Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Paul Bucha is a recognized lecturer on ethics in business and government, having lectured at Harvard, Princeton, Haverford, United States Military Academy, United States Air Force Academy, the Merchant Marine Academy and the United States Coast Guard Academy.

In his youth, Paul Bucha was an All-American swimmer in high school and is in the Swimming Hall of Fame, of which he is a Director. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he was awarded the Purple Heart, two Air Medals, Bronze Star w/V, Army Commendation Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry w/Palm, Vietnam Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal. He is President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and is also in the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame.
His professional affiliations include: West Point Society of New York; Asian Institute of Jersey City State College; Ends of the Earth; and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Paul Bucha is the father of four children: Jason, Heather, Lindsay and Rebecca.