Charles Dean

Charles Dean
Charlie Dean

Charles "Charlie" Dean was the brother of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, Democracy for America Chairman Jim Dean and political activist Bill Dean. In 1974, Charlie, who had been traveling through southeast Asia at the time, was captured and killed by Pathet Lao guerrillas. His death and the subsequent repatriation of his remains to the United States have been the subject of speculation and controversy.

Charlie attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was active in student government and the anti-war movement. In 1972, he went on to work as the Orange County, NC coordinator for Democrat George S. McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign. In 1974, he traveled to Laos to visit a friend who worked for USAID. Together with an Australian friend named Neal Sharman, Charlie stayed in a bungalow on the Mekong River, planning to meet up with another friend who was serving in the Peace Corps in Nepal. Charlie’s parents have speculated that he was in fact working for the CIA, although Howard Dean has stated that he does not think this to be the case.

In early September, 1974, Charlie and Neal took a raft down the Mekong River to Thailand. They were stopped at a checkpoint near a small village called Pak Him Boun, two miles southeast of the capital of Laos, Vientiane, by Pathet Lao communist guerrillas who imprisoned the two, apparently because they were carrying cameras. The U.S. Government learned of the capture, and Charlie was classified as a POW-MIA despite the fact that he was a civilian. Charlie and Neal were executed by the Pathet Lao on or about December 14, 1974.

In 2000, through accounts given by people who had seen the two young men killed, the site where Charlie and Neal were believed to have been buried was located. On November 11, 2003. Howard Dean confirmed that a joint U.S.-Laotian task force had likely discovered the remains of his younger brother, and DNA analysis subsequently confirmed that the remains were Charles Dean’s.

In December, 2003, Charles Dean’s remains were buried with full military honors. This caused some controversy, as Charlie was a civilian, and Howard Dean was criticized for publicly referring to his deceased brother as a POW-MIA.[1]

Charlie's death has been widely reported by Howard Dean as having had an enormous influence on his life; such that he wore his brother's belt every day of his presidential campaign.

References

External links



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dean O'Banion — Charles Dean O’Banion (* 8. Juli 1892, Maroa, Illinois; † 10. November 1924 in Chicago) war ein US amerikanischer Mobster und als Anführer der North Side Gang Rivale von Al Capone. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 1.1 Kindheit und Jugend …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dean O’Banion — Charles Dean O’Banion (* 8. Juli 1892, Maroa, Illinois; † 10. November 1924 in Chicago) war ein US amerikanischer Mobster und als Anführer der North Side Gang Rivale von Al Capone. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 1.1 Kindheit und Jugend …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dean O'Banion — Born Charles Dean O Banion July 8, 1892(1892 07 08) Maroa, Illinois, U.S. Died November 10, 1924(1924 11 10) (aged 32) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Cause of …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Deane — may refer to Charles Anthony Deane (1796 1848), UK diving engineer Charles B. Deane (1898 1969), US representative from North Carolina Charles Deane (cricketer) (1885 1914), English cricketer See also Charles Dean (died 1974), American man killed …   Wikipedia

  • Charles D. Kimball — Charles D. Kimball. Charles Dean Kimball (September 13, 1859 December 8, 1930) was an American politician and the 47th Governor of Rhode Island. Contents 1 Early life …   Wikipedia

  • Dean Dixon — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Dean Dixon Nacimiento …   Wikipedia Español

  • Dean O'Banion — Charles Dean O Banion (né à Maroa le 8 juillet 1892 mort à Chicago le 10 novembre 1924) était un mafieux irlandais leader du North Side Gang, rival de Johnny Torrio et Al Capone durant la Prohibition. Les journaux de l époque l on fait connaître… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Charles D. Kimball — Charles Dean Kimball (* 13. September 1859 in Providence, Rhode Island; † 8. Dezember 1930) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker und von 1901 bis 1903 Gouverneur des Bundesstaates Rhode Island …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dean Dixon — Photo by Carl Van Vechten, 1941 Charles Dean Dixon (January 10, 1915 – November 3, 1976) was an American conductor. Dixon was born in New York City, where he later studied conducting with Albert Stoessel at the Juilliard School and Columbia… …   Wikipedia

  • Dean (surname) — Some notable people who have the surname Dean are: Dean (Middlesex cricketer) (fl. 1787–179), amateur cricketer from Middlesex Anna Maria Ravnopolska Dean, harpist Bashford Dean, American ornithologist Brett Dean (born 1961), Australian composer… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”