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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Sep '99
Charles Francis McCarty * '46
No. 16130 * 22 Mar 1925 - 7 Jun 1998
Died in Melbourne, FL * Interred in West Point Cemetery, West
Point, NY
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Charles Francis McCarty was born in Brooklyn, NY.
He attended Xavier High School in New York City. Graduating in
1943, he joined the Class of 1946 at West Point on 1 July of
that year.
Charlie's Irish wit and sunny personality made
him well known throughout the Class, but it was in F2 Company
that he became a legend. Roommate, Phil Fryberger, tells of their
first day in Beast Barracks: "A call came from below: 'Mr.
McCarty, hang your knob out!' Charlie looked over the railing
and was asked, 'What are you doing?' Reply, 'Hanging my knob
out, sir!' I can still remember him standing there experiencing
his first of many corrective encounters for his exuberant responses."
Jack Schulz recalled, "Charlie surfaced as our Saturday
night entertainer and jokester. Table Coms were glad to get him
at their table and looked forward to his Sunday night skits.
To this day, any member of F2 will tell you that Charlie was
and is at the center of the spirit and persona of F2, USMA '46."
Don Hughes remembered: "When the '46 grads of F2 meet and
reminisce, there are few highlight memories that do not include
Charlie McCarty. Charlie brought spirit and fun into the grey
routine of wartime cadet life. His good nature and upbeat attitude
were contagious and the morale of those around him reflected
his influence." Charlie graduated a second lieutenant in
the Infantry.
Charlie had a distinguished Army career. After
serving as a company commander, 6th Division in Korea in 1948,
he returned to Fort Benning, GA to instruct at the Infantry School.
It was there that he married Jessie S. Honnen at the Post Chapel
on 23 November 1950. The Korean War was then only a few months
old, but even though newly married, Charlie volunteered to go.
He simply saw that as his duty. Brother-in-law, BG George Wear,
'44, wrote about Charlie as a wartime leader: "Charlie was
a devout Catholic and placed his life in God's hand. While we
were both rifle company commanders and facing daily hazards,
he told me that it didn't worry him because whatever happened
to him was up to 'The Fellow Up There.' As a rifle company commander,
Charlie was by far the most colorful officer in the 31st Infantry
Regiment in Korea during the 1951-52 period. He grew a handle-bar
mustache, carried a swagger stick which he used to point the
way as he led L Company up and down hills, across rice paddies,
etc. He carried a civilian type pistol and personally led many
small company patrols. During the battle of Triangle Hill in
October 1952, Charlie led an attack on a Chinese bunker position
brandishing his swagger stick and firing his pistol. He was seriously
wounded during that action." For his actions in combat,
Charlie received the Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal for
Valor and the Purple Heart.
Charlie's went on to become a Tactical Officer
at West Point, graduate from C&GSC, serve in Naples, Italy,
on the Joint Allied Command Staff and graduate as an honor graduate
at the Air Force Staff College, where he received a Masters from
George Washington University. His further assignments included
battalion commander with the 101st Airborne Div, then tours in
Vietnam and Thailand. Charlie retired as a Colonel in 1972.
Charlie opened his own advertising and political
fund raising company in 1972 and sold it in 1992 when he and
Jessie retired to Melbourne, FL. In retirement, he enjoyed writing,
art, tennis, traveling and Red Cross work.
Charlie died 7 June 1998 after a long illness.
His wife, Jessie; daughters, Helen and Elizabeth; son, Charles
III and sister, Helena, survive him.
To meet Charlie McCarty was to feel that you had
known him forever and that he was your friend. His natural exuberance
and charm were recognized throughout his life as his hallmark.
His impact on those who knew him and loved him is evident in
their remembrances of a great man.
Friend, Tom McCunniff, '45: The depth of our friendship
has remained deep and binding and I am forever grateful for the
memories of this fine, strong, intelligent Christian gentleman
-- a true intellect, a courageous soldier, a devoted husband,
father and grandfather and a raconteur par excellence."
George Wear: "A deep void exists in all our
lives now that Charlie is gone."
F2 Company Classmate, George Patton: No one can
under estimate the importance of a man such as Charlie McCarty.
He was dedicated to and lived by the principles normally spoken
by USMA and he will be missed."
Longtime friend, Jack Doody: "He was a person
who made a lasting impression on all whom he met. Such a soldier
we all should be."
Phil Fryberger: "He was surely one of the
best and will not only be missed by his family but also by his
legion of friends and I am proud to be counted as one of them."
His beloved Jessie: "I think of his nobility
of spirit, strength of character, total honesty, sincerity and
goodness and that superb wit and Irish charm coming from a facile
mind, memory and imagination. The passage from Hamlet spoken
by Horatio best sums up my feeling:
'Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince
and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.'"
It is with great pride that the Class of 1946 adds
those words that would mean so much to our classmate: "Well
Done, Charlie; Be Thou At Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife, Jesse
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