Obituary of Charles Warren Holte

Charles Warren Holte (14-Sep 1945 to 10-May 2023)

Chuck was born on September 14, 1945 to Warren (Bob) and Adeline Holte in St. James, Minnesota. 

He was the first of three children.  His younger siblings were Jayne and Doug. 

In 1963, Chuck graduated from Butterfield high school.  Four days after graduation, he joined the United States Air Force (USAF) and went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.  From 1963 to 1965, he was a fuel supply specialist at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base (AFB), Michigan. While stationed in K.I Sawyer, Chuck, and his friend Abe would hitchhike back to St. James, Minnesota on the weekends.  It was one of these weekends where he met and began dating Patricia (Pat) Sawatzky.  

Chuck and Pat continued to date up until 1965, when Chuck received orders to relocate to Wheelus Air Base in Tripoli, Libya.  While in Libya he decided that he wanted to marry his girl back home but given that he was in the military and only 20 years old, he required permission from his commander to do so.  He went through the necessary military counseling to receive government consent, and in December 1965 Chuck mailed a diamond ring back home to Pat to ask for her hand in marriage.  Apparently, it was a choice between buying her a ring or a new camera.  He chose wisely.  Chuck returned to St. James near the beginning of May in 1966, and Pat became Mrs. Holte on May 21st of that year.  Two weeks after getting married, he returned to Libya to finish his military assignment, which ended in 1967. 

From 1967 to 1973 Chuck attended the University of Minnesota in Mankato, Minnesota. While attending college, Chuck worked as a professional photographer, and on weekends, assisted by his wife Pat, also took pictures at weddings.  In addition, Chuck worked for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad as a brakeman for a time during his college years.  In 1970, their daughter Pamela (Pam) Allison was born at St. James Hospital.

In 1973 Chuck rejoined the USAF and had to repeat basic training, but this time it was to serve an officer.  In the winter of 1973 Chuck moved his family to his first duty station as a 1st Lieutenant, which was at Mather AFB, California.  Here he went through Navigator training and was then trained as an Electronic Warfare Officer.  

In 1975 Chuck and family were relocated to Castle AFB, California where he underwent B-52 Combat Crew training.  Following his training Chuck and his family were restationed again to K.I. Sawyer AFB where he worked as a B-52 Navigator and Electronic Warfare Officer. 

In 1979 Chuck transitioned to Strategic Air Command (SAC) Headquarters at Offutt AFB, NE, where he became an Electronic Warfare Officer instructor.  In 1982, he became a Signals Intelligence (SIGNIT) Officer with the RC-135 aircrafts for the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at SAC Headquarters.  From 1983 to 1986 Chuck served as a Special Operations Electronic Warfare Officer with SR-71, U-2R, and TR-1 aircrafts.  

In 1986, Chuck and his family moved to Woodbridge, Virginia where he worked at the Pentagon, directly with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as a Signals Intelligence Officer for the Joint Reconnaissance Center.  By this point in his career, he had achieved the rank of Lt Colonel.   There he was Responsible for Joint, worldwide, airborne Signals Intelligence operations.  Worked closely with theater reconnaissance center staffs, National Military Command Center (NMCC), National Military Intelligence Center (NMIC), NSA, DIA, State Department, and National Security Council to coordinate and approve the monthly reconnaissance schedule.

In 1989 they were relocated again to Beale AFB, California where Chuck planned and executed worldwide SR-71 deployments and operational missions.  During this time, he worked closely with Air Force and contractor teams in developing and testing new sensors and defensive systems for SR 71 and U-2 aircraft.  He also planned and executed worldwide SR-71 deployments and operational missions.  

From 1990 to 1993 Chuck worked on the island of Oahu, Hawaii at Camp Smith as the Chief of Electronic Warfare for the US Pacific Command.  

Chuck’s final active-duty station was at Shaw AFB in South Carolina, where he was the Chief for the Weapons and Tactics division of 9th Air Force / US Central Command Air Forces (USCENTAF).  There he contributed extensive joint and combined information warfare experience with Joint Task Force South West Asia (JTF-SWA). As the JTF Reconnaissance Liaison Officer, wrote the Air Tasking Order for over two-hundred monthly Joint U.S., British and French reconnaissance missions in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf.  

After retiring from the Air Force in 1996 as a Lt. Colonel, Chuck and his family settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There he worked as a Senior Analyst contractor for SAIC and Booz-Allen and Hamilton, where he was responsible for developing and testing electronic warfare and related areas of Space Warfare Center and Air Force Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (AFTENCAP) programs.  

Throughout his life, Chuck was an avid aircraft enthusiast and active in several model airplane groups.  Some of the model airplanes he created were recognized at conventions and contests all over the world.  Chuck also enjoyed running and hiking, having completed the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon over the years.  

Chuck was a loving brother, husband, father and friend and will live forever in our hearts and memories, gone but never to be forgotten.  

Chuck is survived by his wife Pat; brother, Doug and his wife Kathy; sister, Jayne; daughter, Pam and her husband Zack; grandson, Cody and his wife Esther; granddaughters, Jennifer and Arielle; and great-grandchildren, Astrid and Sylvia (Cody and Esther) and Kameron (Arielle).  

Memorial Service, 11:00AM, Thursday, July 13, 2023, Black Forest Lutheran Church, 12455 Black Forest Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80908.

Graveside Service, 10:00AM, Friday, October 20, 2023, Pikes Peak National Cemetery, 10545 Drennan Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80925.