Sgt. Charlie Bagwell, Rosman, North Carolina, Native, to Be Honored This Evening

Staff Sgt. Charlie Bagwell, 28, a native of Transylvania County, North Carolina, died along with four others on May 30. The soldiers were involved in Operation Enduring Freedom and died in Afghanistan when the helicopter they were in was shot down and then crashed in the Upper Sangin Valley. Tonight, during the Brevard-Rosman football game, Charlie, as he's known around here, will again be honored by this small mountain community when his football jersey is retired at half-time.

It's been a long good bye for folks in this small town. Charlie Bagwell was a member of the Rosman High School Class of 1997 and ever since his funeral, several class mates have banded together to find a way to remember and honor him. Exactly how they will do that is beginning to take shape, but what is also very clear is that they all share memories of him, memories that each contain of heavy dose of humor. One of his classmates, Trish Duncan Cheek, told a reporter from the local Transylvania Times, that when they shared their recollections of Charlie Bagwell, "There wasn't one thing that we could think of that didn't make us laugh. How many people get to say that about anyone?"

During the funeral gathering, his old friends decided to pursue building a scholarship fund in his name. They figured if they could raise enough money, the interest alone could be presented as a yearly scholarship. The group also wants to have enough to offer SSG Bagwell's son a full scholarship to college if he so chooses.

Following the funeral, the group first presented the idea to the Bagwell family. Once they received their approval, the paperwork needed to be started. Fortunately, Trish Cheek, one of the organizers , is also a certified public accountant and was able to make the process a little bit smoother. A Board of Directors for the fund has also been established with several of Charlie's old friends serving in some capacity.

Tonight's football game will be one of the group's first efforts aimed at bringing the public into the project. Many people here knew Charlie Bagwell or a member of his family. His mother is a familiar face at the local Lowe's outlet. His death, marking the first military loss this county has suffered during the Afghan-Iraq conflicts, has also brought members of the community together. When his body first arrived at the Asheville Regional Airport, a motorcade of more than fifty military vehicles, Fire Department and Police vehicles, and family and friends, escorted the hearse the roughly eighteen miles from the airport to the funeral home in Brevard. People lined the highway and streets, waving flags, shedding tears, saluting this fallen hero.

During tonight's game, tables will be set up where people can make donations, and purchase small flags for one dollar and lapel pins for two dollars. A website is also in the process of being set up. Those seeking more information can call (828)883-8250 or mail a check to SSG Charlie Bagwell Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 126, Brevard, NC 28712. All donations are tax deductible. It will be a fund raiser that will go on for a long time, just like the memory of SSG Charlie Bagwell, someone who served people with honor and humor.