Tributes
Leave a tributeI was thinking of you and Charlie today. He was an extraordinary human being, and an amazing leader of Marines. I'm so sorry for your loss. I was thinking of my time visiting Region 6, when he was in command, and how grateful I was for his wisdom and your hospitality.
God bless.
After my father passed in February 2014, you took me under you wing and shared your own experience of losing your dad at a similar age. I still am touched when I hear “Danny Boy, the pipes…”. Your kindness and support could not be matched and never forgotten. You helped me to decided to continue on orders with the 11th MEU, saying, “Will you regret in it if you don’t go?” That deployment was so hard but it kept me moving forward while all I wanted to do was give up.
Going on that float allowed me to take my dad on the MEU like he had so desired to do as Cpl DeCloux, 2151 Turret Repairman. I was able to conduct a Burial at Sea, a unique experience that most do not get to partake in.
Sitting in the LFOC In the USS SAN DIEGO, I was so disheartened reading Col Fultz’ email… it was such a short time before I deployed but you had become a huge part of my life. Kathy to me in for the holidays after I returned, I was so thankful that she did.
The Blue Diamond staff suffered great losses with you and Capt Jessica Marks. I hope I have honored you both well, growing from 1stLt to Major DeCloux, heading to Command and Staff College. I will carry you with me.
You were one of the very finest officers I ever had the pleasure with which to work. Leadership could have been your middle name. When I first met you at 10th Marines I knew you were going to go much farther in the Corps than you had already come. Our time working together at MWCS-18 and 3rd MAW formed some of the best memories I have about my time in the Corps and the men and women who make it what it is. Your performance in all of the positions you filled during those years was stellar in every respect. You are always missed . Semper Fi Marine!
RIP our dear friend.
In almost any situation I ask myself, "What would Charlie do?" and I inevitably make the right decision and charge forward.
Semper Fi
I think of you not only today but everyday. I pray for the repose of your soul. Rest in Peace Marine. Semper Fidelis, Dan McGee
"For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." I told Jared, this guarantees you will see your father again. I believe very soon, crazy soon, the rapture of the church will happen. The most important decision of our life is waiting. Charles was part of the solution, never part of the problem. A real American, Marine, Father and Grandfather. Pretty good at hiding injuries too, so he could deploy to Africa as a Communications Officer and be selected as to LtCol to better take care of his family.
Leave a Tribute
I was thinking of you and Charlie today. He was an extraordinary human being, and an amazing leader of Marines. I'm so sorry for your loss. I was thinking of my time visiting Region 6, when he was in command, and how grateful I was for his wisdom and your hospitality.
God bless.
Perspective
As we celebrate his 50th Birthday today, I pulled out an email that I have kept since the day he left the 1st Marine Division G-6. Charlie hired me as a GS after 7 years of working at the G-6 as a contractor, I was at an appointment on his last day. So I sent him an email thanking him for everything he did for me, and a couple of things in his reply made my day. He told me that he was skeptical about hiring me, but that he could not deny the experience I brought to the G-6. And that looking back he stated it was the best hire he ever had any involvement with. He stated that he loved my tenacity, and that I was "HIS" Pitbull, and that he enjoyed working with me even though I gave him a hard time about an Ohio State T-Shirt he would wear to PT in. Being a Michigan Man I would occasionally send him emails or put Michigan stuff in his office. It was all in good fun and he get a good laugh out of it. As time has rolled by I look at the memorial plaque that sits in the G-6 with his picture and bio on it, it is a reminder everyday for me to live up to the standards that Col Dowling set for me when he hired me. I Miss You Sir!
Semper Fi, God Speed, Rest Peacefully!
My Replacement
Recently I was reminiscing about some of my old friends and wondering where life had brought them. In particular, I thought of who was my relief in the Comm Dept at MCAS Tustin, CA. Being the old salt I considered myself and just starting my second enlistment, he came aboard as my replacement before I headed to Camp Lejeune. Corporal Dowling was enthusiastic as new Marines normally were and what better place to be than in Southern California? For the short amount of time we knew one another we became friends and eventually invited him over for some culinary delights what home cooking could bring. Being newlyweds, Val and I experienced the usual technical problems that come along with cooking chicken. Needless to say, the three of us agreed that pizza was a better option as we shared stories and laughs that night. The time spent then and the short remaining weeks that remained in Tustin was something not realized then but in my youth and naiveté, I took for granted.
I must admit that after discovering Charlie’s passing I was surprised and saddened. Reading over these tributaries that Corporal, and eventually Colonel, Dowling was a man who had that same enthusiasm, concern, and moral compass which withstood the close to 30 years that have passed between then and now. Looking back on those memories, there was no surprise when he shared how he had been accepted to Embassy Guard duty and then into the MECEP program. Charlie had traits that embodied integrity and professionalism. Traits of the Marine Corps and traits that most people could only wish they had.
In closing and to his wife, children, parents, all parts of his family, and all Marines who he has touched…
I cannot express how Val and I are so lucky as to have had Charlie a part of our lives (as brief as it had been). Evident of that is that before sharing the news about Charlie, I showed her a picture of Colonel Dowling and without hesitation, she exclaimed, “That’s Charlie!”