Charles H. Klinge, Jr.
MSCE 1998
Director of Operations
Ecological Service Partners
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
Charles "Chuck" Klinge, Jr. recently retired from the U.S. Army after nearly 28 years of service. He grew up in Northern Virginia and Crofton, Maryland. Chuck attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. During his first military assignment, he served as a Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer in the 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC where he deployed to Operation Just Cause and Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
Chuck's next assignment was in Germany where he commanded a Combat Engineer Company and deployed to Bosnia for Operation Joint Endeavor. Upon completion of Company Command, the Army selected him for graduate school, and he attended Purdue University, graduating in December 1998 with an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering (Structures).
During his military career, Chuck served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, and commanded both the Honolulu and Fort Worth Districts. He also served combat engineer tours as the Executive Officer of the 8th Engineer Battalion; 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas; and as the Deputy Brigade Commander of the 130th Engineer Brigade at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Chuck's military career culminated as the Commander and District Engineer of the Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where he was responsible for over 1,000 military and civilian personnel with an annual program of $1 billion. This included construction and engineering support for 17 active Army and Air Force installations, a $180 million civil works program and a $300 million program to support multiple federal agencies nation-wide.
Since retirement from the U.S. Army, Chuck has been working in the environmental services field with a focus on ecological restoration and mitigation banking and is currently serving as the Director of Operations for Ecological Service Partners.
Chuck is a licensed Professional Engineer in Hawaii. Chuck and his West Point classmate, Laurel, have been married for 27 years. They have a son, Henry, who was born when Chuck attended Purdue. Henry is a sophomore at Baylor University and plays offensive line on the football team.