More detail on this person: Charles J " Chuck "
Savage JR, VHPA member M04483, passed away
Saturday, January 8, 2005 at the young age of 57
after a battle with cancer. Chuck attended
68-512/68-20, followed by AMOC and served in
Vietnam from April 1969 to March 1970 as
Detachment Commander of the 665th Trans Det
attached to
the 361st ACE " Pink Panthers." His Awards and
Decorations include the Distinguished Flying
Cross, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Bronze
Star, Army Commendation Medal and numerous
awards of the Air Medal. He was an outstanding
Maintenance Officer who took his turn flying
combat missions.
After continuous harassment, pestering and
pleading from his fellow Panthers, Chuck
reluctantly joined VHPA and attended his first
Reunion in DC in 2000. Afterward, his wife,
Elaine, told me this story. "As we walked down the
hall toward our room on the same floor as the
Panther Suite, Chuck stopped me and said his
coming to the Reunion was a mistake. This was in
his past and should stay there. I told him we had
come this far, should go to our room, drop our
bags, go to the Suite and check it out. If he
still wanted to go home after that, we could leave
the next day. We walked in to the Suite, he saw
several Panthers he knew and it was like Chuck
was with his best friends again. He had a ball."
She told me Chuck actually regretted he had made
reservations to go home a day before the Reunion
ended. The Reunion turned out to be one of the
great times of his life. He was able to make
several more and had plans to attend Dallas last
year when the cancer was discovered. He also
planned to attend San Francisco this year.
Chuck is survived by Elaine, his friend of 47
years, his girlfriend of 42 years and his wife of
37 years, their daughter Sandra, two sons, David
and Matt, his father and numerous grandchildren.
He was a devoted husband and father, true friend
and courageous man to the end. He never
complained. Chuck was a Pink Panther to his
core. He will be missed and remembered at the San
Francisco Reunion and all future Panther
gatherings.
From: Mike Sheuerman, Panther 15, 361st
ACE/AWC Pink Panthers
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
Please send additions or corrections to: HQ@vhpa.org VHPA Headquarters
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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