Charles Edward Driscoll

West Point, 1995

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Darby Neilson on November 16, 2005:

Charlie Driscoll I could depict Charlie Driscoll in several ways: father of two, husband, engineer, rower, paratrooper, soldier. His life was far too brief, but he accomplished much in 31 years. All of his accomplishments are impressive, but most importantly Charlie was a great man and a good friend. Those of us closest to him remember him that way. Eulogizing Charlie, I would rather not recall specific times and events that we shared together, or even the last time I saw him; these are personal memories we will recall fondly on our own. Instead, I?d simply like to focus on his many virtues that made knowing him such a privilege for so many of us. As I remember Charlie in each of the different roles I mentioned, the same adjectives spring to mind to describe him: loyal, dedicated, and caring. He was perhaps one of the nicest, most sincere guys I have ever known. Charlie was loyal to everyone around him: his wife and children, his design team, his crew, and the men and women under his command. And he was intensely dedicated in all endeavors, whether it was an obstacle clearance, a race, or one of the engineering projects that kept him (and his team) up at night as a cadet. He was blessed with intelligence and athleticism ? a genuine scholar-athlete ? along with a wry sense of humor. I could fill a book with Charlie?s amusing observations, and many of you know I nearly have. One thing I remember best about Charlie was his steadfast belief that one shouldn?t look back with regret at what wasn?t done right; one should do it right the first time, or simply learn from it and do it right the next time. ?If we only would?ve gotten off the start quicker, we could have won that race,? I remember someone saying once. ?Would?ves, could?ves, should?ves,? Charlie would scoff. At least I can say now, with my own hindsight, that Charlie Driscoll made us all very lucky to know him, and I would not have changed a thing. -- Darby Neilson

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