Col. (Ret.) Charles William Krecklow

EVANS, GA – Charles “Chuck” Krecklow, 94, passed peacefully into the heavenly realm on November 2, 2025. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of over 55 years, Anne Eitel Krecklow in 2018.

Chuck was born in Bakersfield, California and spent his early years on a small farm outside of town before the family moved into the city. His mother was a teacher, so school and learning were very important to him. He graduated from UCLA with a B.S. degree and immediately entered the U.S. Air Force under the ROTC program. After receiving pilot training, his first assignment was with the 92nd bomb wing in Washington State. From there, he was transferred to Hunter AFB in Savannah, GA.

It was at Hunter AFB that the then 1 st Lt. met the love of his life, a girl named Anne Eitel. After dating and eventually getting married, the couple spent the next few years in Savannah. During that time, they were blessed with the birth of their two children, Charles W. “Chuck” Krecklow, Jr. and Nancy A. Krecklow. From Savannah, Chuck and Anne spent the next two decades being transferred to bases all over the United States. During his service, Col. Krecklow and his wife Anne were acknowledged by Lt. General Carlton as “one of our finest husband and wife teams” in the U.S. Air Force. Col. Krecklow had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force, faithfully serving for 26 years. He achieved excellent ratings through 3 years of participation in the SAC bombing competitions, earning the position of aircraft commander of a B-47. He flew over 1000 hours in this bomber and served as the Command Post Controller while at Hunter. In 1963, Captain Krecklow was transferred to Offutt AFB, Headquarters of the Strategic Air Command. Chuck served on the SAC Operations Staff, SAC Contingency War Planning Group and was tasked with developing the SAC war time planning computer systems.

From Offutt, Major Krecklow was assigned to March AFB in Riverside, CA. At first, he served as Chief of the Missions Division that planned for the strike force of B-52’s, including use of the U-2 and SR-71 reconnaissance force. Major Krecklow went to Osan, Korea to work in a sensitive Command Control position before returning to the states. When he came back to March AFB, the now Lt. Col. became the Aide to Lt. General P.K. Carlton, who was the commander of the 15th Air Force.

When General Carlton received his fourth star and became Commander of the Military Airlift Command, Lt. Col. Krecklow followed him to Scott AFB in Illinois. He became the General’s Executive Officer, getting a chance to travel the world and meet with many military and civilian officials at all levels of government.

After his time in Illinois, Col. Krecklow served as Deputy Director of Operations for a year, then was promoted to the Director of Operations at Charleston AFB for another year. In this job, he was responsible for the worldwide flying missions of the base, along with the military side of the airport.

Within 2 years, Col. Krecklow moved up to be the Vice Wing Commander, becoming responsible for over 6000 airmen and $600 million in assets. In his last duty assignment before retiring from the military, Col. Krecklow was stationed at Camp Smith in Hawaii as Chief of Command and Control Division for the largest Unified Command in the Department of Defense. After leaving Hawaii, Chuck and Anne settled down in Charleston, SC, where they spent many years until moving near family in Evans, GA.

Over his flying career, Col. Krecklow accumulated more than 4,500 hours in bombers, large and midsized military transport planes, and various other aircraft. He was a Command Pilot due to his experience and time in the cockpit. During his distinguished military career, Col. Krecklow received the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Services Medal with 1 Silver Star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Air Force Longevity Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Small Arms Expert Marksman Ribbon.

As his first retirement job, Chuck sold insurance and investments to individuals and small businesses. He especially focused on helping veterans who were just about to leave the service or had recently retired. After doing this for three years, he took a job in the Medical University of South Carolina human resources office, where he rose to the position of Assistant Personnel Director. While at MUSC, he was known for bringing his home-grown roses to many of the ladies in and around his office area.

Chuck worked at MUSC for 12 years before finally retiring for good. Not having a full-time job allowed him to increase the time spent at both Grace United Methodist Church and with the Civitan Club, along with other organizations.

Chuck was very active at Grace UMC, having been a member for over 35 years. His passion was to serve as evidenced by the many tasks he did as part of the Mission and Home Ministry Teams, along with being a Greeter, Usher, and part of the Methodist Men’s group. He was also a part of the We Care Group, along with his wife Anne, that helped families who had lost loved ones.

As an active member of the Downtown Charleston Civitan Club, he served in many positions, including club President. Chuck was part of many projects and fund raisers, one of which was selling Claxton fruit cakes at several stores.

He is survived by his two children, Charles W. Krecklow, Jr. and his wife Jennifer of Evans, GA; Nancy A. Krecklow and her life partner Linda Hughes of Murphy, NC; two grandchildren, Daniel T. Krecklow and his wife Isabella of Ooltewah, TN, and Kenneth M. Krecklow, of Evans, GA, along with a number of nieces and nephews. The family also wishes to acknowledge those who helped as his life here on earth ended: the staff of Brandon Wilde, especially those who work at Windsor House and the Nurses and staff at Trinity Hospice.

His unconditional love for his family, his caring, and the help he provided as a volunteer for many years will be greatly missed. His remains will be interred in Savannah following a burial with full military honors.