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thedrifter
05-24-08, 09:20 AM
Quantico remembers beloved drum major

5/23/2008 By Sgt. Danielle M. Bacon , Marine Corps Base Quantico

QUANTICO, Va. —From coast to coast, Marines, friends and family mourn the loss of the "quintessential cowboy," Staff Sgt. Charles Owens.

The former Quantico Marine Band drum major died May 1 when his motorcycle struck a truck in Joshua Tree, Calif. The Morongo Basin California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.

"I’m gonna have a hard time living without him," said Gunnery Sgt. Rob Kielar, an enlisted conductor here. "He was the best friend I’ve ever known."

Friendship, laughter and a great sense of humor were the corner stone of the Marine from Ferron, Utah.

"He had the coolest laugh," Kielar said. "It was jolly ... genuine."

Nicknamed "Boot Scoot" for his natural country music singing ability, tight cowboy pants, cowboy boots, shiny belt buckles and large Stetson cowboy hats, Owens had just as many nicknames for band members as they had handles for him.

"My hair was too short to pull back into a pony-tail, so I would put it into two on either side of my head for (physical training.) One day he yelled, ‘Hey Pippi,’ like Pippi Longstocking" said Cpl. Heidi Beck, "It was the first nickname that actually stuck.”

It was this fun-loving, smiling "Chuck Eddie" that will make him unforgettable.

"I don’t think he ever had a bad day," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert A. Szabo, Quantico’s band officer. "He was always joking. He seemed to 100 percent enjoying going to work and being with Marines. He would give everything he had to his Marines. He would literally do anything for his chain of command, his peers and his Marines.

"As a boss, you have an opportunity to surround yourself with great Marines. He is one I would gladly serve with anywhere."

Kielar agreed, "He would give you the shirt of his back if he thought it would help. If you had a problem over at (admin), he’d get (up,) go over there with you and take care of the problem."

It was this lead by example that made a lasting impression on many junior Marines.

The Marines had been doing martial arts in teams, and each was racing around the field when he jumped out and started calling cadence.” Our team finished a whole lap ahead of the others,” said Cpl. LeAnn ‘‘Rocket Scientist” Splitter.

"He taught me what it was to be a good Marine," Beck said. "He could discipline a Marine in an instant and then turn around with a smile. If something happened, he’d fix it and then get over it.”

Owens’ leadership not only influenced the junior Marines around him, it influenced those senior, too.

"He would do anything for you any time day or night. He was the go to guy with a heart of gold," said Master Sgt. Yaphet Jones, the band master. "He touched so many people. He would ensure that no detail was ever over looked. He was always on the top of his game."

Although the Marine Corps was a large part of Owens’ life, all agreed that his family took a special place in his heart. Many agreed that watching Owens with his wife, Charla, was something to behold.

"A lot of Marines are married, but he and his wife ... they were truly best friends,” Kielar said. ‘‘It was fun to watch them."

‘‘Their marriage ... they had such an incredible understanding of each other,” said Erik ‘‘Dewey” Dewhirst. ‘‘With that understanding, they were both able to excel in their careers.”

Owens was a father to Jordan Smith and McKenzie Owens.

‘‘I miss you so bad, daddy! You’re my best friend. I talk to all my friends about you. They thought it was really cool when you came into my class. I thought it was too. I liked our trips with you and Charla. I miss my snake and my hermit crab. Daddy, my heart is hurting,” McKenzie, 9, wrote in an online blog. ‘‘I miss you daddy and I love you so much!!!”

The 37-year-old had recently transferred to Twentynine Palms, Calif., in March to be closer to his home where he, his father and his five brothers had invested in a ranch, according to a 2007 Sentry story.

‘‘He loved ranch work and what it meant to be a cowboy. His late grandfather, Robert (Bob) Owens, was one of the biggest influences for Charley when it came to being a cowboy; listening to old stories, singing songs, feeding and milking cows, and breaking horses,” according to his online obituary.

A memorial service is being planned by the band for a date in June.

Szabo said, "He was my go to man. He would’ve been the first person I would have gone to when planning a memorial. He is one that is really going to be missed."

In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to go to www.jdrf.org or www.fallenherosfund.org.

Ellie