Charles David Moore

The Family of Charles Moore would like to invite you to join them for a luncheon at the Sutherland Legion Hall immediately following the graveside services. Charles (Chuck) David Moore, the son of Charles Frank and Margaret Winifred (McBride) Moore, was born in Elk River, MN. He was raised in Sutherland, IA and graduated from Sutherland High School in 1935. He started the Boy Scouts in Sutherland in 1932, where he was a Patrol Leader, Junior Assistant Scout Master, and the Scout Master for two years. He played piano, trumpet, clarinet, tuba and baritone in High School bands and orchestras. Chuck taught some classes upon absences of teachers when they were officiating out-of-town sports events. He played piano, clarinet and the trumpet at many out-of-town dances with the Emory Wilson Band. Chuck attended the University of Iowa. He played clarinet in the U of I marching band during his freshman year, and then played the bagpipe with the renowned U of I Scottish Highlanders at the New York World Fair in 1939. He also played the piano many times in small college dance bands. Chuck worked for the Bank of America in Hawthorne, CA from 1941 to 1942. During this time, he acquired a private pilot's license. Chuck entered the U.S. Army Air Corps on April 15, 1942. He graduated from the Air Cadets as a pilot and was commissioned 2nd Lt. on April 12, 1943. He flew his first 1000 hours as a pilot in a bombardier school in Deming, N.M. He flew 515 hours of combat time, during WWII, flying "The Hump" across the Himalayas, from India to China and back. After the war, he flew a military passenger run from Calcutta to Karachi until January of 1946. He was transferred to the European Theatre, where he attended flight operations officer school in Paris. Chuck was then assigned to Vienna, Austria, where he flew the Balkan run from Vienna to Budapest, to Belgrade and on to Bucharest, Rumania, returning the next day. In April of 1946, he was assigned as station commander of the air support detachment supporting the U.S. Allied Control Commission in Bucharest, Rumania. Chuck married Marta Gonda in Bucharest in January of 1947. They returned to the United States in March of 1947, and he was assigned for a while to Pope Field, North Carolina. In December of 1947, he was transferred to Bergstrom Field in Austin, Texas, where he underwent four-engine training in the C-54 and gliders. While there, he was deployed with his squadron to Germany, where he flew 135 round trips from Frankfurt to Berlin on the famous Berlin Airlift (Operation Vittles). Upon returning to the States in January of 1949, six months after the start of what was to be a 45-day Tour of Duty (TDY), he was assigned to Strategic Air Command (SAC) in a photo-mapping and aerial electronic geodetic survey squadron, at Forbes AFB in Topeka, Kansas, another move for Chuck and Marta. While there, he underwent B-29 training at Tampa, FL. Chuck then went back to Topeka, where he started an annual summer TDY to Alaska for the next five summers. During this period, he was transferred to Barksdale AFB, Shreveport, LA for a year and then on to Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, where he was assigned for the next three years. While there, he started flying the Boeing RB-50, which was to be his primary aircraft for the rest of his career. Following Ramey, he was assigned back to Topeka (Forbes, AFB) for about a year, and then out of SAC and in to MATS (Military Air Transport Service) and assigned to Palm Beach AFB, FL for five years. He had TDY's to Alaska, 3 months to Tucson, AZ, Columbus and Dayton, Ohio for 8 months and England for 6 months. Marta was in Ohio and England with him for these two TDY's. He had one more TDY before leaving Palm Beach, which was to Clark Field in the Philippine Islands for 6 months. While there, he flew into Borneo, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, during various aspects and requirements of his missions. During these assignments, he was appointed the Commander of the Aerial Survey teams, which numbered approximately two hundred officers and men. While he was at the home station in Palm Beach, he was the Squadron Operations Officer, and when on TDY, was the Aerial Survey Team Commander. In January 1959, he and the complete photomapping group were again transferred, this time to Turner AFB, Albany, GA. He was to spend the next seven years there, and it was to be his last transfer, although not his last TDY. While at Turner, he had various assignments. He was the Photo-Mapping Groups Operations Officer for about two years. When the group was elevated to a Wing, he was assigned as a Commander of a Flying Squadron. He held this position for the next five years, before being transferred up to the Wing as Assistant Wing Operations Officer. During all of the time he was assigned to Turner AFB, he retained the additional title of Aerial Survey Team Commander, and had numerous TDY's to Iceland for 3 months, twice to South America, twice (once for 6 months and once for 3 months) and to Greece for 5 months. Marta went to Greece and was with him on this TDY. Chuck retired from the military on March 1, 1966 as a full Colonel and a Command Pilot, after 24 years of service including 17 years with the photomapping unit. After returning from the Air Force, Marta and Chuck moved to the San Francisco area in California. Chuck went to real estate school and worked for 6 months in that field before accepting a position with Pan Am as a supervisor in ground operations. He was with Pan Am for four years until they started downsizing. At this time, he started a civil service job with the Navy Engineering Command in San Bruno, CA. He worked at this job for eighteen years, including three years with the Social Security Administration as a claims agent. He retired from Civil Service on May 1, 1990. Since his retirement, Chuck was active primarily in golf. Other interests include Bridge, reading, playing the piano and eating out. He passed away at the Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, California on Monday, July 3, 2006 at the age of 87. Charles was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Leo. He is survived by his wife, Marta; three sisters: Mary Jane Bruton of Burnet, TX, Eileen Petersen of Lake Park, IA, and Muriel Martin of Sutherland, IA; several nieces and nephews, other relatives and many friends.

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