Paul Valvo
Smoke Rise Member since 2022
What makes a great leader? Is it their integrity, dedication and decisiveness? Or is it their resilience, courage and empathy? Each of these qualities is true of Colonel Paul Valvo. Born with a servant’s heart, Paul grew up in the small town of Waterbury, Connecticut. Describing himself as a “cradle Catholic.” Catholicism was the predominant faith of Waterbury. It was here that Paul and his sister flourished under the watchful eyes of loving parents, and where Paul met his late wife, Marge, in etiquette class, learning to dance. She was just 14-years-old, and Paul was 15. After graduating from high school, Paul enrolled in Norwich University, a private military college in Vermont.
With over 30 years of military service, Colonel Valvo had a variety of assignments that took him and his family around the world. In 1961, he began his career at Fort Stewart, Georgia. From there, he traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, and then to Vietnam, where he spent a year as an advisor to a Vietnamese Army Engineer Battalion. He returned to the U.S. and assumed the position of ROTC instructor at Rose-Hulman Polytechnic Institute before returning to Vietnam in 1970. From 1970 to 1971, he served as the battalion executive officer of a U.S. Army Engineer Battalion. This was a dangerous and difficult assignment with the mission of constructing approximately 45 miles of a major two-lane highway through enemy-controlled territory.
During that single year, Colonel Valvo lost over 35 men killed in action. Some of those killed he knew well. In this tragic time of loss, Valvo turned to God, the Divine Comforter and Protector who guided his steps as a young man in Waterbury. Recalling the experience of losing a soldier, Valvo said he immediately prayed for each person. He prayed for the soul of the lost soldier, for their loved ones, and for the officer who would notify the family. Colonel Valvo’s faith and trust in God carried him through a challenging assignment that ended with the successful completion of its mission despite the dire circumstances.
In 1974, Colonel Valvo and his family moved to Stuttgart, Germany, where he served as chief of the utilities division and later as facility engineer. Again, Valvo’s leadership skills were put to task, but in a different way. While his children learned to ski in the Alps, he was managing an extensive civilian work force consisting of German, Italian, Greek, Turkish and Spanish nationals.
Upon returning to the United States, Colonel Valvo continued to excel in his career. In 1977, he was assigned to Headquarters, Department of the Army, at the Pentagon. There he was responsible for providing and coordinating military support for emergency situations in the civilian sector. He also served as the Department of the Army/ Defense Project Officer for the 1980 Defense Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY. Before retiring, Colonel Valvo was assigned as the Second U.S. Army Engineer managing numerous U.S. Army Reserve Centers located within eight southeastern states and Puerto Rico.
While living in Georgia, Paul met Peggy Sims, his current wife, who at the time worked for the Army Reserve as a Senior GS 13 Real Estate Specialist. It was Peggy who introduced Paul to Smoke Rise Baptist Church almost 20 years ago. Of Smoke Rise, Paul says, “There is really no other place like it. It’s the fellowship that makes Smoke Rise unique– we are like one family dedicated to God and every person here. Nobody is a stranger.” Paul is active in the Berean Sunday School class and attends the Men’s Prayer Breakfast each month.
Born with a servant’s heart, Paul continues to give back to his community. Each year, Paul leads a Veterans Day celebration at Cobblestone Assisted Living Community. He also makes himself available to veterans throughout the year to listen to their stories, to offer comfort and to extend empathy. With a humble heart and a passion for those who have served our country, he knows the journey of a fellow serviceman. If you would like to reach out to Paul, you can contact him at
404-296-8939.
– Mitzi Ethridge-Cantrell, Pastoral Care Associate