and Defense Departments, the U.S. Information Agency, and the Central Intelligence Agency. He served for nine years on the board of Procter & Gamble. Personal Abshire was married to Carolyn Lamar Sample. He had four daughters and one son: Anna Lamar Bowman, Mary Lee Jensvold, Phyllis d'Hoop, Caroline Hall and Lupton Abshire. Ambassador to NATO In 1983–1987 Abshire was Ambassador to NATO where, in reaction to the threat posed by Soviet SS-20 missiles, he was appointed to oversee the deployment of Pershing and Cruise missiles. For his service, he was given the Distinguished Public Service Medal. Special Counselor to President Reagan Abshire was recalled as the Iran-Contra Affair unfolded to serve as Special Counselor to President Reagan with Cabinet rank. His charge was to assure a full investigation of the sale of arms to Iran so as to restore the confidence of the nation in the Reagan presidency. Honors Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1992. Doctor of Civil Law, honoris causa, from the University of the South in 1994. John Carroll Award for outstanding service by a Georgetown University alumnus. Distinguished Graduate Award of the United States Military Academy. 1994 U.S. Military Academy's Castle Award Gold Medal of the Sons of the American Revolution Baylor Distinguished Alumni Award Order of the Crown (Belgium) Commander of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Medal of the President of the Italian Republic, Senate, Parliament, and Government. Grand Official of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Heung-In Medal (Korea) Insignia of the Commander, First Class, Order of the Lion of Finland Order of the Liberator (Argentina) in 1999. Order of the Sacred Treasure Gold and Silver Star (Japan) in 2001. Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Presidential Citizens Medal – Awarded in 1989 by President Ronald Reagan. Doctor of Civil Law, honoris causa, from the University Georgetown in 2006. Death Abshire died on October 31, 2014 of pulmonary fibrosis in Alexandria, Virginia. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, the former Carolyn Sample, his son, Lupton, his daughters Anna Bowman, Mary Lee Jensvold, Phyliis d'Hoop and Carolyn Hall. He has 11 grandchildren. Books National Security: Political, Military, and Economic Strategies in the Decade Ahead, 1963. . The South Rejects a Prophet: The Life of Senator D. M. Key, 1824–1900, Praeger, 1967. . International Broadcasting: A New Dimension of Western Diplomacy,