Wilfred J. A. "Squeak" CHARETTE

CHARETTE, Wilfred J. A. "Squeak," who was born November 14, 1936, passed

away May 9, 2010, at his home in Tampa. Wil is survived by his beloved wife, Amy Charette of Tampa. He was a devoted and loving father to Wilfred J. A. Charette Jr. of Gainesville, Va., and Joseph A. Charette of Nashville, Tenn.; beloved brother of Carol Moran of Cumberland, R.I.; and loving uncle of Steven, Jill, Jane and Ellen Moran, all of Rhode Island. Wil was preceded in death by his proud and loving parents, Wilfred and Philomena Charette. Wil Charette, a native of Rhode Island, served 11 years of U.S. military service, followed by service with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1964 until his retirement in 1996. His first CIA assignment was as a paramilitary staff officer at CIA Headquarters and its domestic training facilities. He then served in Laos and Thailand as a paramilitary case officer, chief of operations, and chief of a Laotian irregular paramilitary unit for eight years. Mr. Charette was then assigned to Ethiopia and Ghana from 1974-1979. In late 1979, Mr. Charette was posted to Swaziland until 1982, when he was assigned to Kampala, Uganda. Following a two-year tour in Uganda, Mr. Charette attended the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I., where he received a master' s degree in national security and strategic studies. In 1985, he was appointed chief, CIA Counter Terrorist Center, Foreign Liaison Training and Terrorist Incident Response Team (IRT). From 1992-1994, Mr. Charette served as the Agency' s deputy chief, Office of Field Deployment. His last U.S. government assignment was that of director of Central Intelligence Representative at U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, retiring in 1996 as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service. Mr. Charette, in post retirement, continued to serve the intelligence community as a senior advisor to Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) at MacDill Air Force Base and as a senior consultant to Telemus Solutions of Falls Church, Va. Mr. Charette was a founding member and continued to serve on the board of directors of the Special Operation Memorial Foundation, MacDill Air Force Base.

Mr. Charette had extensive military experience, having served domestically and overseas with the 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (ARCT), the 101st Airborne Division, the 1st Calvary Division, and Special Forces. Mr. Charette was a charter member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team (Golden Knights). He was the first non-commissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of the Special Forces Training Group High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) Committee, which included Fulton Recovery Systems (SKYHOOK) Operations. In 1961, he was selected to train the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment' s military free fall cadre at Hereford, England. Mr. Charette was a member of the Joint Army/U.S. Air Force HALO Test Team in the early 1960s that established much of the HALO operations doctrine and training which is still in use today. He also participated in the record-breaking 43,500 foot jump to establish a world record "FAI Class G-II-C, group of nine with delayed opening." He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his participation in the HALO Test Program and his subsequent use of HALO insertion techniques. He is the author of the United States Parachute Association (USPA) Publication "Jumping in the Troposphere" and is the recipient of the USPA Golden Wings, representing 1,000 free fall parachute jumps. Mr. Charette' s last military assignment was with the 5th Special Forces Group. During his stellar and distinguished career, Mr. Charette received many awards and commendations of which some are listed below:

Donovan Award for Excellence (CIA); Career Intelligence Medal for Exceptional Achievement;

Director of Central Intelligence award for exceptional service under conditions of hazard and hardship, (2);

Distinguished Flying Cross (DOD); and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service. There will be a viewing 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, at Sacred Heart Church, 509 N. Florida Ave., Tampa. A memorial ceremony will be at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 27, at MacDill Air Force Base. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the Special Operations Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 6696, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, FL 33608-0696, or the American Heart Foundation, www.americanheart.org/

Wil "Squeak" Charette will be remembered for his commitment to service to his country and to his family. He will always be remembered as a patriot and the epitome of what it means to be a true American hero. In the words of his brothers and sisters in the clandestine service, "He was a legendary warriora legend in his own time. The things he survived, his mentoring, his leadership, and his unwavering patriotism is and will forever be a flame that goes on burning; we will never forget him. He was our commander our General."