Shadow box

Charles Chase, or "Chuck" as he was known to us. Each of us probably knew Chuck in a different way. To his father, "Dex" he was his son. To Rob and Carol, he was their brother. To Cathy, he was her husband and best friend. To Jacqueline and Robert (Robby), he was dad. To me, Chuck was a coworker, friend, and climbing partner. I work with Chuck on various demolition projects when he was a Breacher in A Squadron. I first started climbing with Chuck on one of our many trips to Tucson, Arizona. On top of some of the summit crags on Mount Lemmon, they have a formation eroded by the weather called "chicken-heads." The rock was full of these features resembling the necks and heads of a large bird. They made great hand and footholds. They could also be slung with a sling for protection. Chuck loved those chicken heads. He became a chicken-head climber and was fond of that name. Chuck was always full of energy, enthusiasm to learn, and he was always there to help you. You could hear him say, "Sure, I can do it, no problem." Chuck loved his country, family, and friends very much.

Chuck was the best partner to have on the other end of the rope. He made the climbs fun, and I had complete trust and confidence in him. He was dependable and steady; I trusted him with my life. Chuck also had trust in me, and I would not let him down. He was the best rope partner. Chuck and I had shared many adventures together. Chuck was always looking for that epic climb. An epic climb is one in which the outcome looks very doubtful, but you survive and what stories you can now tell. I would say to Chuck; you need not go out and try to find an epic; they will happen given enough time. If you climb long enough, you will see your share of epics. We had a few epics, though. One such epic was on Hallets Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. Four of us took leave to climb together, Chuck, Paul Geoly, Randall Anderson, and myself. We were climbing the Northcutt-Carter route. This is a difficult backcountry alpine climb with a lot of route-finding problems. Randall and I were high on the route when the storm came in; we continued to the top. Paul and Chuck were lower on the mountain and decided to rappel the route, making several epic rappels. At one point, Paul was near the end of the rope suspended over a void, with no knot at the end. Paul finally was able to secure himself to the rock. Paul and Chuck shared an epic on Hallets Peak during that climb. I cannot think of a better person to share an epic climb with. Chuck's epic is not one short moment in time; it is his life story, his legacy that he leaves us. Chuck has now completed his final epic, and he will make this one. When he gets to heaven, what stories he will tell; stories of his family, his many friends, and all of their adventures together. We will share in his epic and continue to remember and tell many stories of Chuck Chase. Chuck is gone but not forgotten. His spirit lives in each of us. Good climbing, Chuck.

This remembrance profile is maintained by Mike R. Vining, SGM USA (Retired).
Email: sgmmvining@gmail.com

Chase, Charles D, Jr., MSG