Recognizing the Contributions of Charles ``charlie'' Webb

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions of Mr. Charles ``Charlie'' Webb. Charlie graduated high school in Colorado in May 1970 and in August 1970 reported to Fort Knox, Kentucky. for Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at the Armor School. He was assigned to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in January 1971 in Bind Lach serving as border patrol between Germany and Czechoslovakia. He and his company referred to themselves as The Speed Bump because ``that's what it would have looked like if the WARSAW Pact had decided to come across.'' This was his favorite assignment.

He was then assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado, with the 10th Cavalry (part of the 4th Infantry Division). It was while he was there that he met his wife, Mary. His next assignment was back to Germany with the 1st Battalion 64th Armor Regiment for three years. During this time, he transitioned to the M1 series tanks.

Later he was assigned to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas. He was there for a year and transferred to Fort Hood, Texas, because they already had M1 tanks. At Fort Hood, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion 8th Cavalry Regiment, part of the 1st Cavalry Division. He served as a Platoon Sergeant, and eventually, as the First Sergeant for D Company. While serving as the 1st Sergeant, he was notified he'd be attending the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. It was there, in January of 1990, he went back to Fort Bliss for six months of school.

After graduation, he expected to be assigned to Korea since he had never done a tour there, but instead, he was retained as faculty at Fort Bliss for the next three years as a lesson writer and instructor.

In December 1992, Armor Branch contacted him concerning his next assignment. The Assignments person gave him a choice; he could be the First Sergeant of a tank company with the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, or a tank company supporting the Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Neither choice was a desirable option, so he chose to retire and in 1993. he moved to Anniston, Alabama, to work at Fort McClellan. However, he had no intentions of ending his service to the United States. Here, he was responsible for running the Battle Simulation Center for the Chemical School. When Fort McClellan was closed, the Anniston Chemical Demil Facility (ANCDF) was being built, and Charlie was hired there in July 1999. While working at ANCDF, he had an interest in making a scale model of the plant. Because cameras weren't allowed on site, he observed and documented, from memory, the layout of the facilities. He worked on a model at home for over four years. The model is one of a kind, and the only one in existence. He donated the large-scale model to the Army and it's on display at the Museum Support Center in Anniston Alabama (MSCA).

Charlie worked from July 1999 until the completion of the ANCDF mission and left in August 2013, He started in April 2014, as a volunteer at MSCA and is still volunteering today. Charlie's vast knowledge and dedication to detail has enhanced the effectiveness of the museum. Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing Charlie and thanking him for his service to our country and his dedication to the MSCA.

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