Paul hails from Flossmoor, Illinois, a small town south of Chicago. He was first in CS-21 "Black Jack" Squadron and then in CS-11 "Rebeleven" for our last two years. At the Academy, Paul excelled academically and as a result was always on the Dean's List. The day after graduation, Paul and Patricia got married in the Cadet Chapel and then it was back to the Midwest where Paul attended Purdue University in Indiana, earning a MS in Astronautical and Aeronautical Engineering in 1969.




Following graduate school it was off to Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance AFB for a year and then to Japan where Paul was a pilot with the 56th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flying the WC-135 out of Yokota AB. His additional duties included serving as a maintenance supervisor and flight operations member. During his tour at Yokota, Paul's drive to learn continued and led to his enrollment in the University of Hawaii, Tokyo Extension doing graduate study toward an MBA.

In 1972, Paul’s assignment in Japan was cut short for a South East Asia tour. Paul became a member of the 18th Special Operations Squadron stationed at Nakhon Phenom AB, Thailand and DaNang AB, South Vietnam. He flew AC-119K's for combat missions and ferried C-119G's to the Philippines at the end of the war.

Paul returned to CONUS to Los Angeles AFS, and was assigned to the Space and Missile Systems Organization as an Aerospace Contract Manager. During his short stay, he organized teams using Air Force and government service personnel to evaluate contractor proposals and manage accepted contracts.

In 1973, Paul completed his military service commitment (via Palace Chase flying for the California ANG) and started a new path, first by attending the University of California, where he earned a Master of Architecture in 1976. While aerospace was his primary chosen career path, suddenly Paul was thrust into the business world. Staying in the Bay Area of California, Paul formed his own company, Paul H. Lutton and Associates, where he established and managed a multifunction organization whose business included architectural services, construction, and real estate development. His success in development afforded him the opportunity to retire at 34 and focus on energy conservation R&D. The interest rate explosion in the early 80’s destroyed his little empire, and he was forced to start all over from the ground up.

Paul moved back to the Chicago area, and in 1982, staying close to the architecture discipline, entered the CADD (computer aided design & drafting) market with Sigma Design, Inc. (an Englewood CO company). He later founded CADD Midwest Corp., a company of multiple functions, to develop software and to provide services and management consultation for manufacturing, architectural, and facility management applications.

Beginning in 1995, Paul joined BAB Systems, Inc. As the Director of Facilities, his department selected sites, designed stores, did the contracting and construction, and maintaining the finished facilities for corporately owned franchises, such as Big Apple Bagels, My Favorite Muffins, and Brewster's Coffee nationwide. Over the course of 10 years as an employee or consultant, he designed nearly 400 stores all over the States and in several other countries.

From 1999 to 2005 Paul was President of North Shore Design/Build, Corp., Northfield, IL a firm that designed and built residential remodel construction projects.

After 39 years of marriage Paul and Patricia went their separate ways - Patricia stayed in Chicago, and Paul moved to Vieques, Puerto Rico. They have two wonderful boys and four grandkids living in the East Bay of San Francisco.

"At the 35th reunion, we were in a conference room with the 21st Squadron and cadets asked about our individual careers. When it was my turn, I explained that I was intending to move to Vieques and pursue real estate development. After the discussion, Charlie Holland came up to me and said that I might wish to reconsider because the US Government was in the process of shutting down Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, which was the life blood of the area. He was right that the economy of the region tanked – and is still a mess. Vieques holds its own with tourism, but struggles. Puerto Rico is a disaster, but I’m hoping to help build a future for our tiny island."

In 2005 Paul became a registered architect in Puerto Rico and formed Vieques Verde LLC, an architectural and general contracting firm performing design/build services of sustainable homes on the island of Vieques, which is off the south east coast of Puerto Rico.

Recently retiring in 2016, Paul founded the Vieques-Libre Corp, a nonprofit corporation for the purpose of preparing Vieques for a self-determined, sustainable future. "My real work is trying to help the island survive and prosper. The kids here haven't got a chance."

                  Please view the video below to learn more about the island of Vieques and what Paul has been doing.

"I am extremely lucky and have a wonderful life that has gone in directions I never could have planned or forecasted. I was devastated to leave my boyhood dream of an aerospace career, but I could not get on the track that I wanted out of pilot training, so I bailed out to pursue the great unknown. I'm a bit of an outlier and don't take orders well. My favorite word is ‘Why?’ I have no regrets - I just need to live another life or two. One of the most exciting events of my life was at Cape Canaveral watching (and feeling) Dick Covey launch into space as the shuttle returned to service after Challenger.

As toys are of interest to many, my current ride is a 2003 Ford construction van - very exciting! My other car is a dune buggy. My boat is a kayak. Over the years I've had:· MG TD, TR3, '57 T-bird, '57 XK150 Jaguar roadster, Mitsubishi 2000GT and a Bellanca Decathlon aircraft."

Paul - We're all proud of you!

December 2016

I just discovered my old DSL service is actually running, thus here I am on Facebook. I also found out that my regular email and website are not! So, I am using the email address of one of my other sites until I can straighten out the problem with my normal system. You can reach me at: discussion@vieques-libre.com
A fair amount has transpired since I had service over a month ago; emails and texts have disappeared into the ether, and going back through the tons of stuff on Facebook is so overwhelming it’s not going to happen – I lost a month. Please feel free to email or message me with anything I missed or you would like to say. One thing I know is that there is so much love and caring out there that I felt it through the 200 mph (+ or -) winds and really appreciate your vibes. Those who have experienced a rocket attack or shelling barrage know the intensity of sound and the uncertainty of survival that accompanies the uncontrollable magnitude of forces unleashed upon us at times. To those who have not had such experiences, I hope that you never have to.
Emerging from the devastation of the Cat 5 Hurricane Maria on the morning of Wednesday, September 20th, the universal cry from the Vieques community was “Vivimos!” Homes were destroyed, property was lost, the landscape was reformed, but we all lived through it. The magnitude of the personal crisis and collective chaos was slow to sink in as many walked around almost oblivious to the calamity at hand. Dazed and confused. Where to begin?
The destruction of the landscape was almost uniform. Trees were topped at 20 feet or totally uprooted. Old wooden power poles were snapped like toothpicks while steel poles were bent and leaning over. Even some of the 65’ foot concrete super-poles were cut off at grade level trimmed by a giant lawnmower. Wires were everywhere. Telephone cables – precarious on a normal day – were coursing everywhere, but now a huge variety of wires and steel cables had joined the spaghetti bowels served throughout the debris strewn island roads.
The tremendous force of winds from the eye and gusts in the 200mph range were partially eclipsed by the supernatural, twisting, knockout punches from random tornadoes spawned within Maria’s cloak. Concrete houses had their doors and windows blown in (and out) with many components tossed hither and yon. Some wooden structures were vacuumed up and probably deposited back in Kansas somewhere.
That’s it for now. I will post much more over the next week or two. I have many pictures of different barrios and familiar haunts, but I’m aware that many such pictures have already been posted, so I’m considering posting options for them.
Thanks to all for your love and support. You would be proud of the way the people of the community have been responding and helping one another as well as the pouring out of support from those who love the island. This did not break us: we’re coming back much stronger!

Paul H. Lutton's Post Hurricane Report from Vieques Island, Puerto Rico - October 20, 2017

The crisis in Puerto Rico is far from over, and there will be more discoveries and disclosures as time passes, however, we know some things already. Arguably, the two most important functions of our government – security and communications - were almost nonexistent and the PR owned and operated businesses of power and transportation collapsed. The results reflect dereliction of duty:
Communications. It is understandable that commercial cell phone, land line, and internet services were interrupted, but this is not acceptable. It is absolutely appalling and negligent that there were no working emergency communications between the Central Government and Vieques for 5 days. Command and control were nonexistent.
Security. The government failed in its most basic mission - its justification for existence - by not protecting the essential assets required for the safe operation of the Commonwealth. Even with a practice in June, with a “dry run” two weeks earlier during Irma, and with witness to the riotous events on other islands, somehow there was insufficient appropriate action and resource to guard and transport the critical supplies of fuel, water, food, and medical services required. Law and order was not maintained.
Electricity. It was fully expected the electrical grid could not withstand a significant hurricane, and excuses were being made weeks in advance. Government cannot duck responsibility by saying: “We can’t help it now if everything fails because it has been screwed up for a long time!” This is in no way acceptable. Residents have been paying the ridiculously high fee of approximately $.14/KWH for distribution and maintenance of this system, but all we have to show for it is a rundown, antiquated mess. Where did the money go? The system is financially bankrupt, but the real problem is that the organization is morally and ethically corrupt. Self-serving personnel at many levels have been fleecing the public for years. The time is right for a major change.
Water. The water and sewage services provided by the government business (AAA) are both antiquated and inappropriate for an island community. Our systems are complicated, fragile, and deliver water that has not passed EPA standards. This is not acceptable. Interruption of our sole source of water due to flooding at the pump station, theft of diesel at the generator, and then breakdown of the local generator highlights the lack of care and professionalism demanded by such an important function. Our waste treatment system is inadequate in both reach and quality for a coastal community.
Emergency Response. The following elements of response appeared to be absent from the government for a week or more:
• Command and Control
• Coordination
• Security
• Reception (supplies, equipment, personnel….)
• Distribution
• Storage
This is not even close to acceptable. The Central Government has been reluctant, slow, and even refused to accept outside assistance for critical supplies and services. PR unions have been holding the relief efforts hostage by preventing outside nonunion drivers from driving the trucks sitting in the ports. The inmates have been granted control of the institution.
The one bright light, and a saving grace, was the immediate and aggressive response of the USCG. They were here by the end of the storm asking what we needed and then delivering it. They were very effective responders, and some of their excellent people are still here helping in any way they can.
After a week or two, other responders from the US Air Force, Army, and Marines were visible and contributing to reestablish communications, security, and logistical support. FEMA assessments began, and the Red Cross had joined the command center.
The Ferry (ATM). On a normal day the ferry system is horrible, inadequate, and inappropriate in ways too numerous to mention. The system is “controlled” in Fajardo and has operated after Maria without accurate communication with Vieques. Schedules are posted but not followed. Schedules are designed for the benefit of the Fajardo staff. The people making important decisions can’t be trusted to pick matching socks.
The issues that come to light are not that the federal government has failed to provide resources or has functioned improperly; it’s that the macho PR Central Government has let the people of Puerto Rico down. The emergency response plan was either totally inadequate and/or negligently implemented. The money that residents paid for maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure was squandered and stolen. The people of Puerto Rico have been sailing on a sinking ship for years, and the lifeboats turned out to be full of holes.
For us in Vieques, we can be proud of the way the community has pulled together. We realize that our priority in the scheme of things will put our 9,200 population behind the 3,400,000 residents on the main island. We further understand that the scale of the catastrophe on the main island makes management incredibly challenging. What we didn’t comprehend ahead of time is that we would be totally ignored for five days and, worse yet, had no functioning official local leadership. Since we were not allocated adequate resources to design and implement a meaningful, workable disaster plan, we were led to believe that the paternal Central Government would be responsible - as they claimed to be.
We are forced to be dependent upon an undependable master who mandates our submission on almost everything. We are subservient to the omnipotent elites in San Juan who refuse to implement any of the significant changes we request, and at the same time, refuse to allow us do it on our own.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!
It’s over. We’ve been had for the last time. The self-serving political elite have demonstrated beyond any doubt that they will never put the needs of Vieques high enough on the priority list to get anything done, and they won’t allocate the needed resources to let us do it ourselves. We are trapped in the cellar with the water rising, and they won’t give us the keys to let ourselves out. We need to act aggressively.
So, what to do? Stay tuned tomorrow. There is a solution.