Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated and decorated Ohio soldier, Army 1SG Charles Monroe King from Cleveland. 1SG King was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb on October 14, 2006, during a convoy mission to send supplies…
Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated and decorated Ohio soldier, Army 1SG Charles Monroe King from Cleveland. 1SG King was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb on October 14, 2006, during a convoy mission to send supplies to Baghdad. He was 48 years old at the time of his death.
1SG King's last mission captures the essential character and selflessness of this man. A 19-year veteran of the Army, Charles was the senior officer on a resupply mission near Baghdad. According to others, Charles did not have to accompany the convoy, but, true to form, Charles went to offer his experience to the younger soldiers on the mission.
His friend and fellow soldier, Captain Jon Schaeffer, said this about what happened:
He did not have to go on that resupply mission, but
Sergeant King loved his soldiers. He would not let them do
anything that he would not do, so he was right there with
them.
His heartbroken fiancee, Dana Canedy, added:
He said he could not, in good faith, send his soldiers on a
mission unless he did it himself. He made sure that each one
of his soldiers took leave before he would take his leave.
That selflessness--that willingness to always put his men first--is a measure of Charles' leadership and courage. That Saturday in October, America lost a true hero.
A career soldier, Charles was scheduled to return home last month. He was a member of a unit from Fort Hood, TX, that was deployed to Iraq last November. As a veteran of the first Gulf War and one of the Army's very best soldiers, Charles was highly decorated. His numerous awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Army Valorous Unit Award. This list of awards, impressive as it is, tells only part of the story of this remarkable man.
As his sister Gail said, ``My brother was very humble about his military experience and all the things he had accomplished.'' Charles was born and raised in the Cleveland neighborhood of Lee-Miles, where his parents Charlie and Gladys still live.
Friends and family remember Charles as a soft-spoken, helpful little boy, who could be counted on to do more than his share of the work.
His former church Pastor, Vern Miller, recalled the day he asked for volunteers to build a three-foot concrete block wall for a needy neighbor. Charles was only a child, but he already had that natural impulse to help and to serve. Pastor Miller said that ``Chuckie was the first to arrive. He was ready to work. Of course, he was too little to carry the heavy blocks, but he brought the workers water all day.'' In that giving little boy, we can see clearly the loving man he would become.
Charles was also a person with wide-ranging interests and passions. He was especially interested in art. When Charles was about 13, his mother enrolled him and his sister in an art class at a nearby community college. Gail said that, while she ``failed miserably,'' Charles fell in love with art.
Upon finishing high school, Charles attended the heralded Art Institute of Chicago. Upon graduation in 1983, he worked as a fashion ad illustrator in Alabama. Known as a hard worker with a meticulous eye for detail, Charles created illustrations for advertisements, as well as for news stories.
His artistic talent continued to play a significant role in Charles' life long after he traded in a civilian career in art for a life of military service. While serving in the military, Charles became fascinated with the history of the 761st Tank Battalion, an African American unit that served in World War II. Ultimately Charles was so inspired that he drew a collection of illustrations of the unit in battle. His collection was put on display at the Pentagon in 1998, as part of the Black History Month celebration. More of his work is now on exhibit at military museums at Fort Lewis, WA, and Fort Knox, TN.
Charles King could have lived comfortably as a professional artist, but his strong sense of duty led him to enlist in the Army. ``My brother was very much into service and serving others, and that was the driving force [for joining the military],'' Gail said.
Charles joined the Army in 1987 and married shortly after. He soon became a dad, when daughter Christina was born. She was the light of her father's life.
While in the military, Charles served honorably in Iraq from 1990 to 1991, as part of Operation Desert Storm. Later, he was able to continue his education, attending Cuyahoga Community College and receiving an associates degree from Chamberlain Junior College in Boston.
Charles was remembered by his fellow soldiers as the consummate professional. Captain Schaeffer remembers how the normally soft spoken and gentle man was also a very capable leader, able to guide his troops in times of chaos. He said that ``we all learned one thing: When Sergeant King yelled, you moved. He only yelled when there was good reason.''
Before his last deployment to Iraq, Charles became engaged to Dana Canedy, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist who worked for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and now serves as an editor at the New York Times. While Charles was in Iraq this last year, Dana gave birth to their son, Jordan. Charles was ecstatic.
During a 2 week leave in September, he got to see his 6 month-old son for what would, tragically, be the first and the last time. He could hardly put his baby boy down.
Although it was terribly difficult to be separated from his family, Charles came up with a unique and heartwarming way to communicate to his infant son Jordan. Miles away, Charles began keeping a journal addressed to Jordan. The journal, which reached 200 pages, was a collection of everything from short stories from his childhood to excerpts of his time as an artist. Mostly though, the journal laid out detailed guidelines and fatherly advice about what Jordan would need to know growing up.
Dana said this about that journal:
It was therapy for [Charles]. He wanted his son to know
everything he could tell him. Everything from his favorite
Bible verses, why he wanted to have a baby, why he wanted to
be a soldier, and how to treat women.
Leafing through the pages, there are instructions for everything from how to deal with disappointment to letting his son know it was OK for boys to cry. As Dana said, ``Charles was this big, muscular guy, but he was like a big pussycat.'' Charles ended his journal to
his young son, saying, ``I will do my best to make you and your mother proud.''
Indeed, Charles King made everyone who had the privilege to know him very proud.
News of Charles' death was devastating to his family, friends, and community. Since his death, phone calls have poured in to his family's home. ``God is just continuing to work miracles in our lives,'' said Gail.
In a funeral service held in Cleveland at Lee Heights Community Church on October 23, friends eulogized Charles. They told stories about him that prompted a sea of smiles and nods from the friends and family packed into the tiny church, whose walls were covered with Charles' paintings.
Those in attendance remembered the boy who had grown up to be such an accomplished man. They remembered the brave soldier, the talented artist, and the loving son, brother, father, and friend. They remembered an American hero.
My wife Fran and I continue to keep all of Charles' family--his parents Gladys and Charlie, his sister Gail, his fiancee Dana, his son Jordan, and his daughter Christina--in our thoughts and in our prayers.
