More detail on this person: Charles A. "Chuck" Vehlow, son of Arthur W. and Eva M. (Winchell) Vehlow, died peacefully at his home in Scottsdale, AZ on July 8, 2017. Born and raised in Waukesha Wisconsin, Chuck distinguished himself during a 46-year career as a military and civilian pilot, aeronautics scholar and professor, and aerospace executive. As an Army combat pilot, he was highly skilled and highly decorated, including the Silver Star, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, and the Bronze Star. Of his 1900 hours of military flying, 715 were in combat in Vietnam. Chuck also demonstrated exceptional aeronautics scholarship, first at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering, and then at the United States Military Academy, where he served as an Assistant Professor of Aeronautics. Additionally, he earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Long Island University; he also graduated from both the United States Army War College and the United States Naval War College. In aerospace companies, Chuck held top positions, including Vice President for the Apache Programs at McDonnell Douglas/ Boeing Helicopter and Vice President and General Manager of the Boeing Helicopter Division. In these positions, he was responsible for major defense aviation programs, including the Apache Longbow, Chinook, Comanche, and the V-22. As a commercial pilot and flight instructor, Chuck flew over 3,200 hours in thirty different aircraft and certified twenty-six private, commercial, and instructor pilots. In recognition of his distinguished career, he was inducted into the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame in 2014. Chuck graduated from Waukesha South High School in June 1964, ranking academically in the top five percent of his class. During his senior year, his school honored him as the top student-athlete. Chuck earned eight varsity letters: two in football, three in volleyball, and three in tennis. He captained the undefeated football team that was ranked second in Wisconsin. Chuck engaged in many high school activities, serving as the president of the Student Council, Kiwanis Key Club, and Varsity W Club. He attended Badger Boys State as the high school's delegate. In September 2005, Chuck was inducted into the Waukesha South Wall of Fame. Chuck's Army career began when he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1968. As a cadet, he served on the prestigious brigade staff and excelled in two intercollegiate sports: squash and tennis. The West Point yearbook cited leadership as "his great ability" Chuck was married to his wife of 49 years, Kathryn D. (Katy, "Gigi" Gollwitzer); he was an exemplary role model to their son Peter (Erin) and to their daughter Martha (Andre); he was the proud Papa to five grandchildren: Alex, Mackenzie, and Camryn Vehlow; Madison and Andrew Dudley. He is also survived by his sister Joanie Vehlow, sisters-in-law Mary Schaefer and Jackie Bartoli, brother-in-law John (Sheila) Gollwitzer, other relatives and many friends. Christian funeral services, with full military honors, will be held at Shepard of the Desert Lutheran Church, 9590 East Shea Blvd, Scottsdale Arizona 85260 on Friday July 14th at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Shepard of the Desert Lutheran Church (see above for address) and/or the American Cancer Society at N19 W24350 Riverwood Drive, Waukesha, WI 53188, (www.cancer.org/donate). Please designate "prostate cancer research". Published in The Arizona Republic on July 12, 2017 Remembering Chuck Vehlow by Michael Putzel Chuck Vehlow was my guardian at first, although I didn't know it. He was flying a Cobra helicopter gunship in Vietnam and Laos, protecting his commander's Huey that I happened to be aboard. He became a source, helping me understand the camaraderie and culture of the Condors, his air cavalry troop that flew into the face of enemy fire, risking everything, losing some, going back day after day because it was their job, their duty and the glue that bound them together. Decades later, when I began work on a book that would become The Price They Paid: Enduring Wounds of War, Chuck offered insight, perspective and vital detail to my story about how the war changed him and his fellow warriors--and how it followed them home. He was still my source, one of many, but in our several meetings and many telephone interviews and conversations, he evolved into something more: a respected and respectful leader and confidant. He was endlessly patient, teaching me the aeronautics of how helicopters fly, how pilots control them with flameproof-gloved fingers over delicate triggers and radio buttons and which hand or foot controls what. He talked about tactics and how crewmen protected each other. And he recounted in minute detail the shocking explosions, chaotic firefights and horrible loss of fellow warfighters and friends who went down in flames before his eyes. We talked for years about the flawed commander he idolized, a brilliant leader who stumbled badly after he came home from the war. As I learned how so many of his comrades struggled through broken marriages, interrupted careers, the agonies of what we came to call PTSD, I marveled at his quiet devotion to the values he grew up with in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and his unwavering love of his wife Katy, their children and grandchildren. He was the all-American kid from nowhere who went to West Point and excelled at sports, at engineering, leadership and friendship. It was after his cancer came back that he let on he'd had his own struggle with PTSD, with alcohol and temper and abusive behavior. He didn't hide it, nor become a champion for its recognition. In the way engineers are taught to analyze and solve complex problems, he dealt with it and moved on, well aware he was fighting another, even more awful ogre. That, too, he managed as a challenge to be conquered. New doctors, different approaches, clinical trials. He was determined to live. As long as three years ago, probably more, he knew it was gaining on him, and he began to scale back some, giving up summers at the lake, then tennis, and more. But his body fought right to the end. Chuck Vehlow lost his last battle on July 8. I will miss him, his wise counsel and quiet but acute attention to every detail and our mutual commitment to getting it right.
This information was last updated 07/17/2017
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