Charles H. Buehring

Charles H. Buehring
BornOctober 6, 1963
Winter Springs, Florida, U.S.
DiedOctober 26, 2003 (aged 40)
Rasheed Hotel, Baghdad, Iraq
Cause of deathRocket-propelled grenade attack
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
Years of service1985–2003
RankLieutenant Colonel
Battles / wars
AwardsArmy Achievement Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Alma materThe Citadel
Troy University
Air Command and Staff College
Spouse(s)Alicia Buehring
Children2

Charles H. "Chad" Buehring (October 6, 1963 – October 26, 2003) was a United States Army Lieutenant Colonel who was killed in Baghdad on October 26, 2003. He was among the highest-ranking U.S. casualties of the Iraq War.[1][2] Camp Udairi was renamed Camp Buehring in his honor in 2004.

Early life and education

Born on October 6, 1963, Buehring was raised in Winter Springs, Florida.[3]

Buehring attended The Citadel, graduating in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in political science.[4][5] He later earned master's degrees in international relations from Troy University and in military arts and strategic studies from Air Command and Staff College.[6][7]

Military service

After graduation from The Citadel, Buehring was commissioned a second lieutenant, infantry. His first assignment was with the 2-22nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division as platoon leader at Fort Benning, and later as company executive officer at Fort Drum.[8][9]

In 1989, he graduated from Special Forces Assessment and Selection and graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1990. He was stationed at Fort Bragg for several years, where he served as an operational-detachment-alpha commander in 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, and later the 4th Psychological Operations Group, leading multiple missions to Botswana.[4] He was Ranger qualified and held the triple canopy of Ranger, Special Forces and Airborne.

In 1992, Buehring was one of the first U.S. military personnel deployed in support of United Nations operations in Somalia.[8]In 1994, Buehring graduated the Functional Area 39 course at Fort Bragg with a follow-on assignment as team leader of the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion. While assigned to the battalion, he supported the 1st Armored Division's entry into the former Yugoslavia during Operation Noble Eagle.[8]

From 1998 to 2001, Buehring served as detachment commander with Company A, 8th PSYOP Battalion, supporting Operation Desert Fox delivering more than two million leaflets into Iraq. Buehring also personally executed the delivery of print assets to South Korea and Guam. He was credited by Special Operations Command as being largely responsible for laying the foundation of what is now the Media Operations Center. Buehring was later assigned to Army Central Command Headquarters at Fort McPherson.[8][10]

He deployed to Iraq in 2002 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Iraq, he served as the chief of the Military Information Support Team with the Coalition Provisional Authority.[4] His role also involved helping Iraqi radio and television stations emerge in the region.[7] He was considered a top advisor to civilian administrator Paul Bremer on how the occupation was being received by Iraqis and how to encourage their cooperation.[6][11] In 2003, Buehring served as senior Psychological Operations planner for U.S. Army Central Command.[9]

Personal life

Buehring was married to his wife Alicia and had two sons, and was a longtime resident of Fayetteville, North Carolina.[12][13][14] He was a scout master with the Boy Scouts of America.[4]

Death

On October 26, 2003, Buehring was killed during a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad, aged 40.[9][15][16] The attack had targeted Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who was staying at the hotel.[17][18][19] Buehring pushed a group of fellow Soldiers to safety before returning to his hotel window to engage the enemy, where he was mortally wounded.[8][12]

Buehring is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.[1][4]

Awards and honors

After his death, Buehring's name was honored and added to the Congressional Record.[20] In 2004, Camp Udairi in Kuwait was renamed Camp Buehring in his honor.[21][22]

In 2009, Buehring's name was included in a commendation and Joint Resolution passed by the North Carolina General Assembly.[23]

In 2014, he was posthumously inducted with regimental honors as a Distinguished Member of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Psychological Operations Department.[24][25]

Buehring is an honoree on the Military Hall of Honor.[26] In 2023, The Citadel erected a historical marker and plaque honoring Buehring.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b Whoriskey, Peter (November 18, 2003). "A Sea of Uniforms and Tears". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ Harris, Shilo; Cox, Robin Overby (2014). Steel Will: My Journey through Hell to Become the Man I Was Meant to Be. Baker Books. ISBN 978-1-4412-2060-8.
  3. ^ "Florida Casualties". Ocala Star-Banner. April 26, 2004. pp. 5B.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Honor the fallen: Army Lt. Col. Charles H. Buehring". 2007-11-14. Archived from the original on 14 November 2007. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  5. ^ "Charles H. Buehring, '85 – The Citadel Alumni Association". Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  6. ^ a b "Army Lt. Col. Charles H. Buehring". The Tribune. November 16, 2003. p. 10.
  7. ^ a b "Associated Press: Officer killed in hotel attack was from state". Gainesville Sun. October 28, 2003. pp. 4B.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Biographical Sketch – Lt. Col. Charles H. Buehring" (PDF). U.S. Army 4th Military Information Support Group. 2003.
  9. ^ a b c "ARSOF Fallen: LTC Charles H. Buehring". arsof-history.org. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  10. ^ "Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom – Listed by Rank". www.fallenheroesmemorial.com. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  11. ^ Moskin, J. Robert (2024). American Statecraft: The Story of the U.S. Foreign Service. Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-250-03746-6.
  12. ^ a b Basile, Tom (October 7, 2023). "Memories of sacrifice 20 years after the Al Rashid bombing". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  13. ^ "Lt. Col. Charles H. Buehring". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  14. ^ "Officer's death 3rd in year for family". Chicago Tribune. November 8, 2003. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  15. ^ "Fallen Heroes Memorial: Army Lt. Col. Charles H. Buehring". www.fallenheroesmemorial.com. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  16. ^ Gertz, Bill (2005). Treachery: How America's Friends And Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies. Three River Press. ISBN 978-1-4000-5316-2.
  17. ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey (2003-11-02). "The Struggle for Iraq: Casualties; Deaths in Iraq Take a Steady Toll at Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  18. ^ "The Year in Review". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  19. ^ On point II : transition to the new campaign: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom, May 2003–January 2005. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-16-087243-3.
  20. ^ "Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 10 – Honoring the Fallen in Iraq". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  21. ^ "Camp Buehring a final tune-up for troops headed to Iraq". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  22. ^ Smith, Amber (2017). Danger Close: My Epic Journey as a Combat Helicopter Pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-5011-1639-1.
  23. ^ "House Joint Resolution 1652" (PDF). 2009.
  24. ^ "Distinguished Member of the Psychological Operations Department" (PDF). Special Operations Center of Excellence. April 24, 2014.
  25. ^ "Psychological Operations Regimental Honors". www.swcs.mil. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  26. ^ "LTC Charles H. Buehring". militaryhallofhonor.com. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  27. ^ "LTC Charles 'Chad' H. Buehring, a War Memorial". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
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