A lanky man, the five-foot eight inch Paul Foster weighs in at 145 pounds. His face is narrow, with the constant five-o-clock shadow more in line with action heroes than a silent, withdrawn man. His hair is black and his eyes are blue. He's quiet, often going hours without speaking unless someone speaks to him first. His eyes are dark and haunted, like he witnessed something he can't quite put behind him. He's well built, with large forearms and thick wrists.

After Book Two he has a jagged scar across his belly where he was bayoneted by a Soviet Spetsnaz/Vympel soldier (He takes over Artain's spot). After the site detonates he has a scar at the bottom of his left eye where he had a surgical steel prosthetic replace his crushed orbital socket. His face and forearms have shrapnel scars on them, and his back has pockmarks from shrapnel.

He speaks clearly and concisely, his tone and cadence clipped and steady. Even when not on the radio his often speaks as if he is transmitting.

Many people have commented that his eyes are dead and cold, like there is nothing inside of him. However, once he and Aine are together that changes slightly.

Background

Paul Foster is a victim of terrible violence and sexual abuse. The child of two heroin junkies in the 1960's and 1970's, Paul Foster rarely had enough to eat and mostly had to raise himself. The police of his early life are largely complacent in his abuse, as the school reported more than once that they had found him eating out of the garbage cans in the cafeteria. His parents refused free meals for him, and the household foodstamps were often traded for drugs.

He moved out at fifteen, getting a job at the meal. The foreman felt bad for him, and hooked him up with a mobile home in a trailer park.

Strangely enough, he attracted the attention of one of the most beautiful girls in school. His girlfriend had movie star looks and nobody understood what she saw in him.

His best friend, a quarterback in high school, often bullied Foster to get his own way in discussions about what they were going to do.

At Gail's urging, Foster married her at sixteen. Gail was vain, selfish, self-centered, overbearing, and used guilt to get her way. It's discovered in Radioman that she even forbid Foster from masturbating as it made her feel bad.

When he was seventeen, Foster discovered that his wife was cheating on him with his best friend. He tricked her into signing divorce papers, and once the divorce was final, he left for the military, signing up to be a radio operator.

During Basic Training and AIT he performed admirably, never really excelling at anything but never failing either. Repeatedly Gail called him, claiming to be pregnant and begging for him to return. Paul Foster just wanted to be left alone.

When he arrives in 2/19th, he notes the weird over-closeness of Bomber and Stillwater, wondering if they are gay, but deciding they aren't when he hears about how they've saved on another's lives. He feels a bit of jealousy toward them, but like most emotions, he can't maintain the feeling for longer than a few seconds before he goes empty again.

Foster arrived before the unit had even fully left Graf, making him one of the early members of the unit.

Assigned to Atlas, he's one of the three who survived finding the site. While not as contaminated as the rest, he does rescue Stillwater and Bomber after repairing the truck using wire from an old jeep. He manages to drive everyone to the hospital despite fighting off VX and blister agent exposure.

After that, he becomes Stillwater's radioman. Following him around to make sure he gets any messages that come in. It's commented on more than once that unlike everyone else he never decorates his helmet cover or Kevlar vest with any slogans or designs.

He was present for Westlin's death, looking right at her when the bullet hit her. He carries guilt over the woman's death, since his radio calls were ignored.

He survives the detonation of Atlas, getting the left side of his face crushed and his ribs broken.

During the battle at the research/storage facility in Iraq, Foster is hit in the temple by a chunk of metal, damaging his brain. He is comatose for weeks until Aine takes him home. While he wakes up, the military medical boards him out.

Aine took him to Tir na Nog and healed him, once again, in her pool.

In 1999, when he is returning home from the store, his vehicle is hit by drunk driver and he is killed on impact.

He awakens in Aine's glade.