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Charlie Adams 1941-2021
Charlie, Sandra Kay & Family
Marine Corps Colonel, Retired 1959-1989
Marine Corps Colonel, Retired 1959-1989
Charlie and his Beloved Wife Sandra Kay and their kids, Sherry Lynn, Heath, and Stacey.
Marine Corps Colonel, Retired 1959-1989
Marine Corps Colonel, Retired 1959-1989
Marine Corps Colonel, Retired 1959-1989
The Colonel, center, with his Battalion Staff Officers.
Charlie Adams, Retired, Marine Corps Colonel
Battalion Commander
2nd Battalion, 5th Marines
ATO Zeta Mu Fraternity
Marine Corps Colonel, Retired 1959-1989
ATO Zeta Mu Fraternity
Brother Adams, in his Favorite Red Marine Polo, joins George Yax second from left and Necia Yax far right, with U.S. Army "Hunt For Heroes" Invitees, at the Yax's Trail's End Ranch.
Charlie, President Emeritus ATO Zeta Mu Alumni Association, Hunt For Heroes Co-Founder with Reunion Host George Yax, organized and arranged with the various Military Branches, in Honoring the Hunt for Heroes Invitees.
By Charlie Adams • An Incredible Journey...
"He was THE Finest Marine Officer I ever served with". Frank Stewart, Capt., 1st Batt., 5th Marines
1. " You do not need to be in the military or a first responder to be a hero. A hero is a person who practices their faith, protect, cherishes and provides for their family as well as strives to improve their community and country".
2. "My journey with and in the Marine Corps began in December 1959 when I joined the Marine PLC program and changed direction in retirement in July 1989. Throughout my active career, there were two things that were of major importance: my faith and my wife. Without them, I doubt my career would have been as successful as it was".
3. "I was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on graduation from Sam Houston State University in May 1963. For the next 25 years, I was an Infantry Officer and upon being promoted to the rank of Colonel, was designated a 9906, Colonel – Ground. When asked which was my favorite rank, the easy reply was ‘all of them.’ When asked if I was ever frightened, the reply was ‘every time I heard a 2nd Lieutenant say, ‘it’s been my experience’ or a Major say ‘well, I’ve been thinking'."
4. "Careers in the Marine Corps vary depending on your designation and career path. My early tours of duty were fairly routine for an Infantry Officer: deployment to Okinawa, combat deployment to Viet Nam, time on the drill field at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego and then there was Adak, Alaska. I had a very unusual assignment while in Adak, where I led Marines while embarked on a Coast Guard ship in the North Pacific to arrest a Canadian citizen on a British ship. As with all these early deployments: all missions accomplished".
5. "After our time on Adak came my 2nd deployment to Viet Nam. I had the honor of being the Infantry Company Commander of Delta Company, First Battalion, Fifth Regiment, 1st Marine Division. Being a Company Commander in combat changes you forever. You see the very best and the worst in people. Your faith and resolve are constantly tested".
"During this deployment, I came to respect the professional soldiers of North Viet Nam. One afternoon after a firefight, I was searching the dead bodies when I found a pouch of one of the North Viet Nam soldiers. In the pouch, there was a picture of a young woman and two children, probably his family. I thought, ‘What is this man doing here?’ Then I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’ My answer: we were both professional soldiers doing what our country asked us to do".
6. "It was later in that deployment, during a fight on October 28, 1968 that I received serval wounds and was evacuated from Viet Nam. I spent the next nine months in various hospitals around the world getting “patched up.” I have only one regret… I did not have more time to spend with those magnificent Marines.Assignments to the Marine Basic School as an Instructor, Company Commander and Football coach were followed by an assignment to Austin, Texas as the Inspector & Instructor with the Reserve Infantry Company".
7. "It was good to be back in Texas. It was during the Texas tour that I was selected for promotion to Major. The month after leaving Austin, the Company was selected as the most professional infantry unit in the Reserves. Those Texans knew how to get a job done. Next, back to the Fleet Marine Force at Camp Pendleton and the First Marine Division. In the FMF, I felt more at home than any other assignment. The next three years were filled with assignments as the Director of Division Schools, Battalion Operations Officer and Battalion Executive Officer".
8. "Later in my career, I attended serval service schools which led to me being assigned as the Amphibious Plans Officer on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic. My primary assignment was to upgrade the general war plans for the Atlantic and be a member of the Atlantic Crisis Action Team".
"I worked for an Admiral named Ike Kidd. He was a tough old man and did not like formalities. I distinctly remember one early conversation where he asked me if I like the war plans as written, I replied ‘No’, and that I didn’t like the phrase “neutralize the Soviet Northern Fleet.” I believed it should read “DESTROY the Soviet Fleet.” He agreed with me and from there on, we got along fine".
9. "My next tour in the FMF took me back to Camp Pendleton. It was one of the most rewarding tours that saw me serving as the Executive Officer of the Fifth Marines, Battalion Commander of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines and as the 1st Marine Division Operations Officer. It was during this time that I was promoted to Colonel".
10. "My first task as a newly promoted Colonel was to form a Tactical Exercise Group, where we designed and controlled the largest live fire exercise in the Marine Corps post Viet Nam. Gallant Eagle involved approximately 25 thousand Marines employing all our weapons systems with no major incidents".
11. "The last five years of my active service were spent at the Marine Headquarters in Washington D.C. Three years were spent with the Logistics Command and two as the head of Marine Corp Operations. You may wonder why an Infantry Officer was put in charge of a logistics command, I did as well. Essentially, my directive was to make the Headquarters logistics community operational. My staff was made up of Marines and civilians from several backgrounds. Somehow, we managed to change the attitude of the logistics folks and we were able to achieve the strategic shift".
"My subsequent time as the Current Operations Officer gave me the opportunity to get back into tactical exercises and become a member of the National Crisis Team, responsible for the Marines supporting national emergencies".
12. "Following my time as an active Marine, I enjoyed spending time with my family and various opportunities. Eventually, I received a call to come back to the Marine community and work at the Marine Corps Warfighting lab. The lab was designed to bring active and retired Marines together to examine and develop next generation and disruptive operating concepts as well as provide recommendations to the Marine Corps for subsequent force design and employment. Once again, an old Infantry Officer was brought in to work on logistics".
"We conducted numerous exercises around the country to include Chicago, Illinois and San Francisco, California. It is rewarding to know that equipment and tactics we developed are actively employed in our modern United States Marine Corps".
13. "All in all, not too bad for ole boy from Sam Houston State University".
Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity • Zeta Mu Chapter
James 'Cuz' Chandler, who succeeded Charlie as ATO Zeta Mu Alumni President, wrote the letter below.
As I write these words, preparations are being made for Charlie’s memorial service. If you knew Charlie, there is likely nothing new that I can tell you. If you didn’t know Charlie, I don’t know where to start.
Although I have only known him for about 20 years, there probably was not a single year that I was in his presence for a total of 2 weeks. But, if he wished to discuss something he would call me. Likewise, I called him when I wanted to discuss something. We probably crossed paths every 2-3 months, either in person, at an ATΩ function, or on the phone. There was not a single time I called him, when he didn’t have time for me. He was genuinely pleased to take my call, and I was always wiser upon completion.
When describing Charlie to someone that did not know him, words like “gruff”, “blunt”, or “curt”, were frequently used. Respectfully, those words are a fair description, because he did not suffer fools lightly. He had a wicked sense of humor that was sharper than a razor, and a laser focus on any business that needed his tending.
Everybody knows a person that performs their tasks, duties, or job utterly flawlessly. To the casual observer, it appears that person expends no effort, experiences no turmoil, and achieves spectacular results, every single time. Charlie presided over our ATΩ Zeta Mu (Alpha Tau Omega Zeta Mu Chapter, Sam Houston State University Alumni Assoc.) in that manner. Of course, after Charlie’s career as a Marine, he could have presided over the Alumni Assoc. while handcuffed, blindfolded, and in a deep sleep. Charlie never Demanded courtesy and respect, because Charlie Commanded courtesy and respect!
In 2019, Charlie decided that, due to the distances required to travel to meeting and various other factors, he needed to start sharing his duties and responsibilities with someone that could cover for him when he might be required to miss a meeting... He discussed that with me, and asked me to consider taking his position as president, I balked. If I had ever wanted that position and I never did, I certainly would not want it following Charlie.
Nobody, under any circumstances, would ever measure up to Charlie’s abilities, skills, and accomplishments. Apparently though, during one of our meetings at The Trails End Ranch, I either dozed off, or left the room. To make a long story short, Charlie’s term now had an ending date, and my term had a starting date. Charlie noted my objection to his motion, allowed me to vote against it, and then the motion carried. Charlie always reminded me that he was willing to help me in any way possible, but I had to ask him. He was no longer the president, I was. He had to know that his advice or assistance was wanted, and requested, and it always was.
In recent days, I have realized that nearly everything I know about Charlie, I learned from someone other than Charlie. While he was not a quiet person, he was a humble man. Nearly every “Charlie Story” I have heard from mutual acquaintances, starts out with, bull-session. These stories would bring terms to mind like, “hero”, “brave”, or “selfless”, simply because of the events, not because Charlie told it that way. Charlie would never allow those words to be used when describing himself, but … we did, when he was not listening!
In closing, I’d like to share an altered-unattributed quote, which I believe applies to Marine Corps Colonel, Retired, Charles N. Adams’ passing:
“Charlie’s death leaves a heartache, which no one can heal.
Our love for Charlie leaves a memory, which no one can steal”.
May God bless Charlie. Each of us is a better person, because of our association with him. Sincerely,
James E. Chandler
President ATΩ Zeta Mu Alumni Association
1962 Elected Pledge Class Pres. • 1964 Grad. 2nd Lt. Marine Corps • President Emeritus Alumni Assoc.