More detail on this person: LTC Hilbert Helmut
"Bert" Chole, 80, went to be with his Lord,
Saturday, November 26, 2016. Born in Garske,
North Dakota to Helmut August and Ida (Bender)
Chole on June 16, 1936. Bert heard his Country's
call at a early age and dedicated most of his life
to the United States Army. He enlisted in the
Washington State National Guard in 1954 at the
age of 18. Approximately a year later he
transferred to active duty as an infantryman and
served in the enlisted ranks. In 1964 he graduated
from the Infantry Officer Candidate School and was
commissioned as an Armor Officer.
His last assignment in the Army was as the
Squadron Commander for the 1st Squadron (Air),
17th Cavalry (Airborne) of the 82nd Airborne
Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He retired
as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1978 after 24 years of
military service. Bert was a member of 1st CAV
Association, VHPA, Bullwhip Squadron, MOAA and
the American Legion. He was inducted into the
Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame, and his
combat decorations include the Silver Star (2
awards), Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying
Cross (4 awards), Bronze Star (4 awards), Air
Medals (34), Meritorious Service Medal, Army
Commendation Medal (4awards), and other service
awards. He was also awarded the Senior Aviator
and Parachutist badges, the Airmobile Badge and
the Army General Staff Badge.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 33 years
Barbara Eileen Chole, who were always known
together as "Bert and Eileen". Bert is also
survived by the children of his heart: Lance
Newkirk (Susan), Valerie Olsen (Rodney), Lucy
Slaughter (Lloyd), Julie Presley (Doug), April
Whitmire (Keith), Lori Manuel (Russ), Sue Cellini
(Kevin), Charley Salsbury (Grace) and Krista Alba
(Henry), 23 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren
and Sister Miriam Ames (Bud). Bert is predeceased
by his son Hilbert H. Chole, II, brother Raymond
Chole and sister Lillian Sedlor.
A Gathering of Friends for LTC Hilbert Helmut
"Bert" Chole, USA Ret. is scheduled for Friday,
December 2nd, 2016 form 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the
Carey Hand Colonial Funeral Home, 2811 Curry
Ford Road, Orlando, Florida 32806. A Celebration
of Life service will follow immediately the
gathering beginning at 6:00 PM, with a
continuation of stories and memories with the
family with a reception in the funeral homes event
room. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to
the Wounded Warriors Foundation, PO Box
231464, Montgomery, AL.
http://colonial.careyhand.com/services.asp?page=o
detail&id=71142&locid=73
Last Saturday, 26 November, we lost Bert Chole, a
two-tour veteran of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry.
At age 80, with a history of heart, lung, and
kidney problems, his systems just wound down,
and Bert refused to be placed on life support.
His wife Eileen reports he said, "I'm ready. Let
me go home to heaven." You can bet that on
arrival there, Bert started looking up old
friends.
Bert was Saber White (the B Troop Scout Platoon
leader) on his first tour, and wrote Flashing
Sabers as a memoir of that time. On his second
tour, he commanded Echo Troop, a provisional unit
formed as part of the in-country "Air Cavalry
Combat Brigade" experiment. He later caused to
be published the 9th (Air) Cavalry Brigade
(Provisional) Combat After-Action Report - a
document whose original drafting he oversaw.
Later Bert was the squadron executive officer when
the 9th Cavalry re-entered Cambodia, in support of
ground forces of the Army of the Republic of
Vietnam. That's where I got to know him, when he
chaired the "MIA Board" for a soldier A Troop lost
in Cambodia. When it came time for the squadron
to come back to the United States, Bert
commanded the detachment that brought the colors
back to Fort Hood. At the time of his death, he
was at work on a third book, intended to be a
comprehensive history of the 1st Squadron, 9th
Cavalry, from its formation at Fort Benning and
deployment to Vietnam to its return to the
States.
I first reconnected with Bert in 1999 or 2000,
when I saw the name "Hilbert Chole" in a long
string of email addresses and figured there could
only be one of those in the whole entire United
States Army. I sent him a note, asking if he was
the same Bert Chole who'd been the XO of the 1-9
Cav. He responded immediately with a hearty
"Welcome Home" and an invitation to join Bullwhip,
the squadron association. I accepted the
invitation, and looking back now it is hard to
imagine the time when we all kept our Vietnam
experiences bottled up inside. Thanks to Bert,
I've reconnected with old friends and made new
ones.
There will be a gathering in Bert's honor
this-coming Friday in Orlando. Details are at the
funeral home website:
http://colonial.careyhand.com/services.asp?page=o
detail&id=71142&locid=73 He will be interred
with full military honors in Arlington National
Cemetery at a date to be determined.
You may post a message to Bert's family at the
website link above, or you may send regular mail
to Eileen at the address below:
Eileen Chole, 12267 Pescara Lane, Orlando, FL
32827
Those who knew Bert probably remember some of
his more "colorful" expressions, and one of them,
slightly cleaned up, seems a fitting way to end
this sad message:
Bert, you were a rare thing of beauty.
Rest in peace, Old Soldier.
This information was last updated 11/30/2016
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Date posted on this site: 10/23/2024
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