Colonel Charles Godwin Pearcy, U.S. Army (ret.), a long-time resident of Alexandria, VA, died in his quarters on January 6, 2018, at the age of 81. He had been sick for more than a year following a stroke. Colonel Pearcy was born in Shreveport, LA, the son of career Army officer and pioneer Army aviator Col. Charles Goodwin Pearcy and Anne Meador Pearcy. He graduated from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, in 1960 with a degree in electrical engineering. He received a Regular Army commission as a second lieutenant of field artillery. He was married to Jessie (Bonnie) MacKay of Westport, CT. Their marriage ended in divorce, with no children. Col. Pearcy attended various Army schools and colleges, including the Airborne School, the U.S. Army Command and Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. He served two combat tours in Vietnam, serving in 1962 as an advisor to a South Vietnamese infantry unit and subsequently as an Artillery Battery Commander with the 25th Infantry Division. He also commanded an Airborne Artillery Battalion with the 101st Airborne Division following cessation of hostilities in Southeast Asia. As a Colonel, he served in the mid-1980s as Commander of Joint Task Force Bravo at Soto Cano (Palmerola) Air Base in Honduras at a time of maximum U.S. involvement in Central America. Staff assignments included service in the Pentagon on the Joint Staff J-5 Strategic Plans Directorate and as the Chief of Staff of the Army Chair at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. His military awards included the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with “V” for valor device, Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachute Badge, Air Assault Badge, Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge, and Army Staff Identification Badge. The Combat Infantryman Badge was not usually given to a member of the field artillery branch, and it was the one military award he wore on his civilian attire. Following his retirement from the Army in 1990 he worked on the staff of U.S. Senator Trent Lott (R-MS), serving as legislative assistant for national security. For eleven years he taught at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), now called the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, retiring in 2010. While at ICAF he taught military strategy, and had a particular fondness for leading staff rides to study the Battle of Gettysburg. Throughout his adult life he was a strong supporter of The Citadel, setting up alumni-run recruiting drives, these efforts culminating in Col. Pearcy being awarded the “Alumni of the Year Award” for volunteer recruiting. His activities went beyond recruiting new cadets. He was also a serious mentor to many cadets and followed them in their respective careers, giving advice and encouragement. Several of these mentees achieved senior officer status in the US armed forces and in the intelligence community. Colonel Pearcy will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
Posted in: Washington Post
Posted on: 2018-01-11
Link to original obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?n=charles-pearcy&pid=187806722