Chuck Harvey: From Serving His Country to Serving Others
Edgehill maintenance supervisor’s inspiring dedication to supporting fellow veterans.
Chuck Harvey grew up admiring his uncle, a Marine who served in the Battle of Iwo Jima. From an early age, he knew he would follow in those footsteps.
“I left high school a couple of months early, joined the Marine Corps. Then my first opportunity, I volunteered to go to Vietnam,” he says.
Serving in Vietnam
In the Marines, Chuck was a combat engineer who worked closely with civilians, helping to rebuild Vietnamese roads and villages after attacks. He was injured during his first tour of duty but returned for a second tour.
He spent four years in the Marines, earning a Purple Heart and a Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. Chuck left as a sergeant in 1972.
“We really didn’t talk about Vietnam at all,” Chuck says of the mood then. “I would say it was 30 years, and nobody asked me about it. Nobody.”
He says the advent of the home computers provided a way out of the isolation many Vietnam-era veterans faced.
“I can remember when the computer first came out,” he says. “I had a Tandy from RadioShack and I was on a bulletin board back then, and that’s when I first started connecting with other veterans.”
Riding for a Cause
Chuck joined the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of motorcycle riders—many veterans—who lead motorcades at the funerals of fallen service members and first responders. On one of those rides, he noticed someone wearing a patch for the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (CVMA).
“When I found out (their purpose) was combat vets for combat vets, I knew that that was for me,” recalls Chuck. He is now a State Representative for the Connecticut chapter of CVMA.
Supporting Veterans
The group holds charity rides and golf tournaments and has the support of local businesses. Recently, they raised over $50,000 to support Connecticut veterans.
“We helped a 90-year-old Korean War veteran,” he says. “His house and yard were in disarray, and he was at risk of getting thrown out of his house. We all met there and cleaned up his yard. Just seeing the gratitude from a 90-year-old vet, the smile on his face, that did it all.”
Continuing the Camaraderie
Today, Chuck Harvey is the maintenance supervisor at Edgehill. Each year, at the community’s Veterans Day luncheon, he puts on his Marine Corps uniform and joins the resident veterans for lunch.
“I really look forward to this,” he says. “We share our stories, and the war stories are the same whether World War II, Korea, or Vietnam. There’s just a camaraderie with these vets.”