CAPT Dewenter entered naval aviation flight training in 1945 and received his wings in 1947. His early years included pioneering various aspects of basing jet fighters aboard aircraft carriers, as well as combat in Korea. Following a tour with the Navy's "Blue Angels" he saw combat in Vietnam while commanding a carrier based jet attack squadron, a Carrier Air Wing, and the USS Cleveland. CAPT Dewenter also served as a Chinese interpreter with the armistice commission in Korea after attending the Navy's intensive language program. He graduated from the National and Army War Colleges, received a fellowship at the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations, served as deputy director for International Security Operations at the State Department, and completed his 33 years of active duty as US Defense and Naval Liaison Officer in Hong Kong. Following retirement from the navy CAPT Dewenter was Vice President of the National Council for US-China Trade in Washington, DC, followed by seven years as the Beijing representative for a major American corporation.