Photo By Sgt. Jason Mikeworth | Chief Warrant Officer 4 Charlie Ward, of the 694th Maintenance Company attached to the...... read more read more
CAMP AL TAQQADUM, Iraq - The soft spoken nature of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Charlie Ward camouflages the trailblazing history of his 38 years of uniformed service. He has traveled the globe in the service to his country, spending time first as an active duty Soldier and then as a member of the North Carolina National Guard.
In 1968, Ward and his cousin needed to earn a living. Jobs were scarce in Mount Olive, N.C., so they decided to enlist in the Army. At that time, Ward, who has seven brothers, had members of his family serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
After visiting with an Army recruiter and completing the enlistment paperwork, Ward returned home to find a draft notice waiting for him.
"My father served in World War II, plus my brother was in the Army at the time," said Ward. "Back then, jobs weren't as plentiful as they are now. As young boys, we thought that was the thing to do."
Ward completed his advanced individual training as a helicopter sheet metal repairman at Fort Eustis, Va., before deploying to Vietnam with the 7/17th Cavalry.
He said that although there are some similarities with the mission in Vietnam and the mission in Iraq, he feels life is better for Soldiers now.
"The mission is a lot different, but we're in a modern Army now," Ward said. "The troops were not as taken care of back then as they are now, and that makes a difference. Back then, if you wanted to eat you got a can of C-rations. Now with the contracted dinning facilities, it gives you a little bit of a home-like atmosphere."
Ward said going to Vietnam was a rush for him.
"I was a young lad, so you think going to war is pretty exciting," said Ward.
"As a young Pfc., never having left the state of North Carolina, going to a foreign country for a war, it was sort of an ego trip."
At the end of his tour in Vietnam, Ward returned to Fort Eustis to work as an instructor at his AIT school.
"It was challenging and rewarding," Ward said. "I got a lot of experience working with young Soldiers, and was able to share my experiences from Vietnam with them."
Ward left the military for a year before joining the North Carolina National Guard.
"After I finished that school, I came back to North Carolina with my wife, and went to work for a company that manufactures electrical transformers," said Ward. "I had some friends who asked me to come down and join the National Guard."
The first unit he joined was a wheeled maintenance unit, where he rose to the rank of staff sergeant.
"I was working with a warrant officer at the time who encouraged me to pursue the warrant officer field," Ward said. "He told me he thought I was very suitable for it, so I pursued it."
Ward said at the time, the Army changed the method to become a warrant officer, mandating special schooling for the position before awarding direct appointments.
"I applied for the school at Fort Rucker, and was accepted in 1988," said Ward. "It was mentally and physically tough. At the age of 35, I was in a class full of young flight school cadets. I decided I would graduate or they"d have to kick me out, but I was not going to quit."
Ward said the class was so demanding that during the seven week course, he managed only one phone call and one half-page letter to his wife. After completing Warrant Officer Candidate School, Ward still wasn't finished with the required training to receive his appointment to Warrant Officer.
"I had to go to Aberdeen Proving Grounds for 21 weeks," Ward said. "At the time it was called a technical certification course."
He said the course was just as challenging as the warrant officer school he had just finished.
"I had a block of instruction for all phases of maintenance, from welding to the machine shop and all general maintenance of equipment," said Ward. "We got a background in some of the new equipment coming into the military at the time and a lot of the old. There were a lot of practical exercises, a lot of hands-on training."
Once he graduated from his technical certification course, Ward was appointed to the rank of Warrant Officer 1.
"My unit recognized me as being one of the few to go through the active duty program, and being the first black warrant officer in the state."
Although Ward grew up in a segregated society, he never viewed race as an obstacle to his career.
"I didn't look at it as a color barrier, and I don't look at it now as a color barrier. It wasn't something I was doing because of a racial issue," Ward said.
"I wanted to make something of myself in the Guard. I didn't place any emphasis on being black,
and the school didn't put any on race. Everyone was treated the same."
Staff Sgt. Sharon Williams, the safety NCO for the 44th Corps Support Battalion and coworker of Ward, said Ward's achievements are important for African-Americans.
"As an African-American myself, it's something," said Williams. "Back then, it would have been known earlier because it shows he has achieved something. Today, it seems to mean more to African-Americans."
She said African-American Soldiers can look up to his accomplishments.
"If they haven't dealt with segregation situations, then they probably won't understand it as well," Williams said. "But I hope Soldiers of any color would look up to him."
When Soldiers earn the rank of warrant officer, they are usually assigned to a new unit as they enter a new phase in their career. Ward said he was excited to receive his appointment, but had mixed emotions traveling to a new unit.
"My warrant officer position was in the 696th Maintenance Company," said Ward. "I was a new warrant in a new company and didn't know anyone, but it didn't take long to get to know everyone."
Williams said Ward is a good role model for other Soldiers, citing his 38 years of service.
"For him to accomplish 38 years, then maybe it can give Soldiers the motivation to do a few more," said Williams.
"Maybe they will think, "He did 38 years, so I can do six more," and when they finish those six, hopefully they'll think again, "Well, he did 38, so maybe I can do another six.""
Ward said the strong support he receives from his wife, Gwendolyn, son Sean, and daughter Shelly help him to keep a positive outlook on life. Williams said this has a calming affect on his coworkers.
"He has a cool manner to him, he doesn't let anything bother him," Williams said. "He is very humble. It's just his nature."
Ward said the Army has helped him to achieve several milestones in his life.
"I had a vision and set a few goals in life. One of them was to make CW4 [chief warrant officer 4] in 30 years, and I've accomplished that," Ward said.
"My goal after I retire is to take my wife to every military post I've served at in the Army and Guard."
| Date Taken: | 06.07.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2006 14:59 |
| Story ID: | 6721 |
| Location: | AL TAQADDUM, IQ |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 29 |
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