05/15/2026
Please join us on Saturday, May 23rd at 1pm at the Lake Placid Public Library for a book lecture with Colonel Charles Bechtel! Chuck will discuss his book "Sent to War, Returning for Peace: My Reconciliation with the Vietnam War". This event is part of our America250 series and the main event of our Memorial Day commemorations. See Chuck's author bio below:
"Colonel Chuck Bechtel was an Army Ranger who led a 40-man rifle platoon in Vietnam as part of the famous 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in 1968 and ‘69. He served in uniform for thirty-five years both in the Army and as a full-time Army National Guard officer. He commanded soldiers at the company, battalion, and brigade level, and he commanded the 2,000-man 213th Area Support Group during Desert Storm.
For three years he was the Chairman of the National Guard Bureau’s Executive Advisory Group for Logistics Excellence. His committee advised the Director of Logistics on all logistics policies concerning the 54 states and territories comprising the Army National Guard.
Immediately after his military retirement, he spent five years at the National Guard Bureau in Washington D.C. as the Brigade Integrator for the newest major combat unit in the Army—the 56th Striker Brigade Combat Team. He played a key role in fielding this unit to the 28th Infantry Division of the PA Army National Guard.
COL Bechtel is a graduate of the Army War College and has a master’s degree in business administration from Penn State. He wrote articles for three different Army magazines: Ordnance, Engineer and Logistics.
His numerous awards and decorations include: the Legion of Merit, Bronze star w/ “V” device for valor, 5 awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, an Air Medal for numerous aerial assaults, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Combat Infantry Badge, Vietnamese Service Medal and the Vietnamese Campaign medal.
COL Bechtel returned to Vietnam with his wife and 11 other veterans in June of 2022. He describes it as “the trip of a lifetime,” and he has written a book about his Vietnam experiences. The title of his book is Sent to War, Returning for Peace: My Reconciliation with the Vietnam War.
The last three years he served as an Ambassador for Veterans’ Outreach of PA (VOPA). Their mission is to operate Veterans Grove, a 24-7 therapeutic facility for homeless veterans. Col Bechtel donates 20% of the royalties from his book to VOPA to care for our unhoused veterans.
COL Bechtel lives in Hershey PA with his wife Joan. They have two children and three grandchildren."
