Thomas Charles “Charlie” Abbott came blazing into Beast Barracks on July 1, 1958 from the Dallas, TX area. This 17-year-old new cadet brought with him his infectious smile and a great sense of humor. Beast was a challenge for this Texan, in comparison to some of his other classmates, because of his smile and spontaneity. Charlie was awesome physically and breezed through the tests and “PT” of Beast. Talented as both a football player and a swimmer, he found his niche in both intramurals and corps squad JV football and varsity swimming, winning an Army “A” in both sports.
Cadet years were marked with academic challenges, but he was never “turned out.” He also had some brushes with the Tactical Department: Charlie was not a “Century Man” but pushed the limit with the officer in charge of evening rounds. As a member of Company F-1, he was positioned well in the barracks to build up a reputation of “water ballooning” classmates passing by, and others too (however, he was never caught in the act).
A proud Texan, he wore his cowboy boots under dress gray while on travels to and from Dallas on holiday leave, and likewise for weekends as a firstie in New York City.
Charlie chose to go join the Marine Corps at branch selection time, and he had an exciting time at the USMC officer basic course. While at Quantico, VA, he “maxed” by setting a record for the obstacle course. The excitement of that and his humor were a mix that fit his personality as a fun-loving, young officer.
Charlie then joined the Corps as an infantry officer and was posted to Okinawa with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. Later in that tour, his unit was the first Marine unit sent to Vietnam. In Vietnam, he was an infantry platoon leader. His unit was assigned the mission of protecting the perimeter of Da Nang base. That included patrols outside the wire and some search-and-destroy missions further outside the wire. On one of these missions, near Phu Bai, Charlie, when engaged with the enemy, was hit when an RPG round exploded close by, seriously wounding him. A journey in the medevac system across the Pacific (Da Nang, Japan, Okinawa) followed, with Chalie ending up in the San Diego Naval Hospital complex. His wounds were serious enough to cause an impaired right arm, hearing loss and eye injuries.
Charlie was medically retired in 1967. At the time of his retirement, his personnel jacket shows that he was the recipient of the Purple Heart Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.
The retirement did not “slow him down,” and he entered an active phase of rebuilding his body and mind, joining the civilian world of business commerce. During this chapter in Southern California, Charlie was engaged in several successful business ventures. As expected, he was actively engaged in his children’s activities and programs. It was a full life with a wonderful family: Renee, his wife of 50 years; two children, Chaz and Annie; and four grandchildren: Colton and Brock Abbott, Blake and Brice Maguire.
Charlie had three siblings: his sister, Jemison; a brother, Pete (a University of Texas graduate who was commissioned in the Air Force, flew RF-4 Phantoms for recon missions, and was killed in an aircraft accident in the late 1970s); and the youngest of three, John, Class of 1969 (who retired as a colonel and is now living in the Dallas area).
Charlie joined the Long Gray Line on February 18, 2021 in San Diego, CA during his 80th year. Charlie was honored with a distinguished burial party at the Miramar National Cemetery, hosted by a Marine Corps Honor Guard.
To paraphrase the Marine Corps Hymn, Charlie fought our country’s battles, keeping its honor bright and is proud to claim the honor and title of being a United States Marine.
As a classmate, we remember and honor our classmate, Thomas Charles Abbott, Class of 1962, saying in reverence and respect: “Well Done; Be Thou at Peace.”
— Classmates