Lieutenant Colonel, Captain

  • Published
  • By SSgt. Kelly Galloway
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
CAPE COD, Mass. --  On Sept. 16, Lt. Col. Charles "Chip" Carroll hosted 27 wounded veterans aboard his fishing boat in Cape Cod. Throughout the day, schools of fish and loud laughter filled the boat. Not a cloud was in sight.

"This job is unique in that I can give people happiness," he said. Since buying the Albatross in 2006, Lt. Col. Carroll and his family have been able to do just that. In recent years, he's begun to provide this service to those who have served.

He recalled the day in the summer of 2009 when he was contacted by Mary Patstone, the director of Spaulding Adaptive Sports.

"When I got the phone call from Mary, she explained that I had the only boat large enough to accommodate the needs of wounded and disabled veterans," he said. "She asked if I would be interested in hosting a group aboard the boat. I was ecstatic. I said to her, 'Do you know what I do for a living? I would be absolutely thrilled to have them!'"

This past spring Lt. Col. Carroll received the Thomas Francis Meagher Award, which is given annually from the local chapter of the Cape Cod Veterans Association that recognizes work done for veterans in the Cape Cod area. "I was nominated by the harbormaster where we keep the boat because he knew of our work with the Wounded Warriors," he said. Lt. Col. Carroll was also invited to lead the St. Patrick's Day parade in Cape Cod this spring.

Since joining the Air Force as a commissioned officer in November 1981, he's logged more than 6,500 hours flying the A-7D Corsair, AT-38B Talon, F-16 Fighting Falcon, KC-10 Extender, KC-135 Stratotanker and the C-5 Galaxy which he currently flies.

"Whether it's delivering ambulances and medical supplies to Hurricane Katrina victims or flying Patriot missile batteries to NATO allies - you'll be involved," he said. "The best part of flying the heavier airframes is that it doesn't matter what military conflict, natural disaster or humanitarian effort is going on in the world. As a pilot of a C-5 you will be part of it," he said. "The difference between flying a fighter versus flying a heavy is that flying a fighter is a sport and flying a heavy is a hobby, both enjoyable in their own right but quite a bit different."

He's been to more than 30 countries and has been involved in countless humanitarian and contingency responses. Yet Lt. Col. Carroll manages to synch not only his Air Force and Family life but also his life as a boat Captain.

The warm, sunny, weather and over 200 fish reeled in - to include an electric ray - made a perfect day.

"The fishing event was one of the best events I've been to in a long time. This is the first event in which I've been able to meet other vets like myself and make some new friends while having a good time," said disabled army veteran, Kal Kent. "It was life-changing."