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<em>Charles Joseph Tiche</em> was born at South Shore Hospital in Chicago on 25 October 1930. He spent his early years in the Chicago area and entered West Point on 3 July 1949 graduating 225 in a class of 512 in 1953. After completion of the basic course at Fort Bliss, he was assigned as a battery officer in a 90mm gun battalion in Chicago. It did not take long for Chuck to learn that the military service was precisely where he wanted to be, and soon after arriving in Chicago he was selected as one of the first members of our class to command a battery.<br />
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During his service in Chicago he managed to convince Patricia Murphy to marry him (he had met and courted Pat before entering West Point), and soon thereafter they departed for Germany. Although Chuck and I had followed somewhat parallel courses since we entered the Military Academy, it was not until we found ourselves living in the same quarters area in Mannheim, Germany in 1955 that I became fully aware of his potential as an officer and a leader. Chuck had an extraordinary sense of what command of a battery was all about. In his unit, the CO’s office was a bleak, austere room with only a desk and a chair. I suggested that he should hang curtains or pictures on the wall. “Not here! When one of my people gets this far, he’s either in trouble or wants something, and it’s easier to deal with him here than in a bright, cheerful office.”</p>
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Commanding batteries separated by only a few miles, we were in continual friendly competition and delighted in bettering one another. Visiting Chuck one day during his motor stables, I mentioned to him that his vehicles were a “sorry lot” compared to mine and invited him to inspect my jeep as proof. He looked, said nothing, but held a formation of all his drivers, required them to look, and then asked me to come back a week later. Nowhere in the Army was there a better, cleaner, more outstanding line of vehicles than those in Chuck’s unit that next week, and they never fell below those standards during his tenure. He gleefully chided me for years over the incident.</p>
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Chuck’s success in Europe was evidenced by the following commendation rendered upon his return to CONUS in 1957: “As a battery commander, you have been outstanding. You have shown great pride in your unit and have constandy striven for its betterment. Your standards have been high and have resulted in Battery D consistently being in the forefront in all tests, inspections, and service practices undergone by the Battalion.”</p>
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During this tour Chuck Jr., and Mary were born in Heidelberg, and the Tighes came home a family of four. They returned to the States in July 1957 and after 30 days leave were back in school at Fort Bliss for eight months to prepare for duty as a battery commander. The Tighes moved to Milwaukee after graduation with Chuck again in command, this time of Battery A, 3d Missile Battalion, 67th Artillery, a NIKE AJAX unit. Chuck’s three fruitful years in Milwaukee resulted in the award of the Army Commendation Ribbon and the arrival of Tommy and Johnny. Upon his departure he was complimented by the Commanding General of the midwestem U.S. Army Air Defenses who told him that he was the most outstanding Army captain it had been his pleasure to know.</p>
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The Career Course found the Tighes associating with the Field Artillery for the first time. Daily in academic classes he demonstrated professional ability, competence, and far-sightedness. He possessed an enthusiasm to get on with the problem, no matter how difficult, and find a solution that he personally could live with. Although his first love was missiles, Chuck mastered the techniques of tube artillery and was then assigned as S3, 2d Battalion, 19th Artillery, in Korea with the 1st Cavalry Division. Our paths crossed again at the 1963 Founders Day dinner at the Eighth Army Officers’ Club in Seoul. He had been selected for early promotion to major, and in his usual humility he felt that others deserved it much more than he. His selection was one of the outstanding achievements of that particular promotion board.</p>
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As a devoted family man he found his first unaccompanied tour an unhappy one, but as a true professional he realized that an assignment wherein he could devote full time to his duties was an overwhelming advantage. In the few short months he held the S3 job, he revitalized the battalion, instituted a complete program of alerts and service practices and began a daily PT program that created an esprit de corps known throughout the division. His battalion service culminated in his interim command of it (still as a captain) during the annual service practice because of a command changeover just prior to the tests. The final months of his tour were spent on the DIVARTY staff where he completely reorganized his section of the tactical operations center and streamlined the procedures involved in sending fire missions to the nuclear delivery units of the division.</p>
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His reputation as a gunnery expert amused him greatly since his only previous experiences were graded problems on the OP’s at Fort Sill. He failed to mention that most of the time not on duty was spent studying gunnery manuals until he had them completely mastered.</p>
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Upon his return to the States the Tighes were civilians at USC for two years. I managed to visit them twice at their home in Los Angeles and found them a happy, close family once again. He and Pat did their utmost to insure that the children grew up in a wholesome atmosphere. Chuck’s mother lived in Los Angeles, and while each Sunday was devoted to her, most of their activities were family affairs in which the children were always included.</p>
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The first year at USC was a hard one. Pat took care of the family while Chuck studied to relearn the things he had been taught at West Point. His grade transcript reflected the difficult first months back in school; and as the “SPEC” came back high A’s and B’s during the last year.</p>
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In sports as in academics, he was a fierce competitor, giving no quarter while competing. He had a true love for handball and played to win against the best competition available. Previously, while attending the Advanced Course, and not having played the game since cadet days, he figured that Danny Wardrop ’51 was the man to beat. For three months he struggled, and was at last able to say, “I finally took him!" Chuck was immensely proud of that victory. During his two years at USC he became the University Amateur Handball Champion, defeating among others, such athletes as Ben Wilson now a Green Bay fullback.</p>
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After gaining his master's degree, the Tighes were selected for the Command and General Staff College with the assurance of a utilization tour to follow at either West Point or the Department of the Army The troop build-up was on in Vietnam, however, and Chuck felt somewhat shortchanged in that he was a Regular Army major and had never seen combat. For this reason, and, as he put it, so I can hold my head up with the rest of you,” he decided he had to go to Vietnam to get combat experience. "After all,’ he said, "this is what the Army is all about. He would become enthused when he thought of the prospect of getting into combat while at the same time regretting the fact he had to be separated from his family. I would guess that his real motivation was an extraordinary sense of duty, honor, and country. He and Pat decided that if it was his desire, then he must volunteer. She and the children elected to live in Palo Alto, California, during his tour. Completion of the MATA course and Vietnamese language school found him assigned as Assistant Sector Advisor, Bien Hoa Province, in the III Corps area.</p>
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Chuck's dedication to duty and the courage he displayed during numerous combat operations quickly won the respect of the Vietnamese officers and men he was advising. The Province Chief was so impressed with Chuck's abilities that he asked him to serve as his chief of staff. He was on orders to take command of the sector as soon as his commanding officer returned to the United States. In addition to the time consuming staff functions resulting from his job, Chuck, as an Artilleryman, earned the Combat Infantryman Badge by accompanying newly trained paramilitary troops on their first combat missions. Just six weeks after promotion to lieutenant colonel and while en route to join a combined U.S. Vietnamese operation in a difficult VC infested district of Bien Hoa Province, the jeep in which Chuck and two other Americans were riding on a dense jungle trail was hit by a command-detonated 105mm shell. Chuck was killed instantly, and the others were seriously wounded.</p>
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Pat and the children will, of course, suffer Chuck’s loss much more than the rest of us. He and Pat were a devoted couple and did everything possible for the welfare of their children. One of the great needs of the children was fulfilled every Sunday when they attended Mass as a family. I know this is a strong bond she and the children still feel with Chuck. The 1953 HOWITZER contains the following short resume of Chuck: “His cadet career was three-fold: to strengthen his mind, body, and religious beliefs.” He never faltered from that goal. For those of us who were his friends and know of his qualities as an officer, father, gentleman, husband, and sportsman, his loss leaves a void that cannot be filled. He will not be forgotten.</p>
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<em>—Cary Hutchinson</em></p>