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First Lt. Charlie Ricci of the Alaska Wing’s Polaris Composite Squadron cuts into his cake at his 100th birthday party.
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First Lt. Charlie Ricci and his wife, Inger, watch as 1st Lt. Carl Siebe, Polaris Composite Squadron commander, helps get the party started by lighting the candles on the cake.
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First Lt. Charlie Ricci and his fellow Polaris Composite Squadron member, Lt. Col. Frank Neil, celebrate his 100th birthday.
Photos by 2nd Lt. Jennifer Sherwin, Alaska Wing
Jennifer S. Kornegay
Contributing writer
ALASKA — Birthday cards intent on softening the blow of aging often proclaim that “age is just a number.”
But 100? That’s a really big number.
Even so, the sentiment conveyed by those greeting card writers sometimes rings true, as is the case with 1st Lt. Charles Ricci, a member of the Alaska Wing’s Polaris Composite Squadron. Ricci — “Charlie” to his family and friends — celebrated a century of life March 17.
And he’s not a former Civil Air Patrol member, or an inactive one. Ricci has been, until very recently, a vital part of the Polaris Composite Squadron. Health issues in the last few months have limited his service, but as his CAP friends will readily tell you, nothing else ever has.
“Charlie is always available for anything,” said his friend, Lt. Col. Marc Stella, the Polaris squadron’s safety officer. “He will take on any duties, from janitorial duties on down the line. He’s always a great volunteer. He’s a great asset to our squadron.”
When asked why he’d stayed committed to CAP for so long, Ricci said, “It’s just a good feeling helping those who need help.
“I’ve been lost before myself, and I know what it means to have people looking for you.”
Stella, 84, has been a CAP member for 57 years — actually longer than Ricci.
“He joined in 1978, when he was already in his 60s. But from his first meeting, he’s been looking after everyone else, so now we’re looking after him,” Stella said.
Still mentally sharp as a tack, Ricci is living in an extended care center in Anchorage, recovering from an infection in his hip. The day before his birthday, his squadron turned its regular monthly meeting into a birthday bash honoring Ricci and held it at the center.
“He was thrilled, and had such a good time,” said 1st Lt. Carl Siebe, commander of the Polaris squadron. “He got to see lots of his friends, and several members that couldn’t make it sent their congrats through me.”
In his long life, Ricci has made many friends and found much adventure. The Army veteran spent 40 years as a hunting guide in Alaska’s wild Wrangell Mountains.
“He’s not big in size, but he’s very strong, very tough,” Stella said. “He and I were on one SAR where we had to camp out overnight together. He’s such a great guy to have in stressful situation.”
His “mountain man” reputation has been proven more than once on a CAP mission.
“On this one particular search, we found the plane we were looking for, but on the return we got caught in bad weather near Chakachamna Lake, so we landed our search plane, which was on floats, on the water,” Stella said. “We realized the pass into and out of the lake was snowed in.
“I was securing the airplane, and Charlie took off with my little hand ax. By the time I got done, he was back with a cord of firewood he had chopped, and in just a little over an hour he had set up a shelter for us all.
“In just a couple more hours, before it got dark, he had a fire going and dinner started. The snow and wind didn’t faze him a bit.
“That’s the kind of member you always want on a search.”
Lt. Col. Mike Pannone, former Alaska Wing and Pacific Region commander, tells a similar story of Ricci’s unflappable grit.
“Once on a search for a hiker in mountains north of Anchorage, I was flying quite low, and through my error we made a turn into a dead-end canyon,” Pannone said. “The only way out was to fly a chandelle, which I did.
“I was scared stiff, and after we got out of there, I looked over at Charlie, and in the calmest, coolest voice he said, ‘I was kind of wondering how you were going to get us out of there.’
“He wasn’t shook up at all. He’s just tough. Up until only about 12 years ago, he was still going into the mountains and hunting in some very rough country.”
Ricci is also willing to perform somewhat less exciting tasks for CAP.
“Shortly after joining, Charlie decided to assume the role of squadron historian,” Stella said. “That had been neglected for so long. He has compiled several photo albums of squadron and wing activities that we use for newcomers now.”
Siebe added. “He’s always willing to share with cadets, especially his outdoor knowledge.”
The avid outdoorsman is quite domesticated, too. He even bakes.
“Charlie was a dedicated hunter and fisherman and belongs to many sportsmen societies, but he’s also really known for his cakes,” Stella said. “Once a month, he bakes a cake for our squadron meeting, and everybody comes looking forward to a taste of that cake.”
His will-do attitude has earned him respect from everyone he has encountered in CAP. “If there was work to be done, Charlie was always ready to step forward and serve, no matter what the task involved,” Siebe said. “He’s willing to do anything around the squadron; he kind of adopted our building and served as our chief maintenance person for years.”
Pannone echoed those sentiments. “His attitude has always been, like so many CAP people, to give to his country through his service,” he said. “He’s probably as dedicated a member as I’ve had in any of my commands.”
Despite not being a pilot himself, Ricci has played an integral role in many search and rescue missions, logging more than 1,500 hours of flight time. His credits include four saves and three finds.
Stella describes Ricci as one of CAP’s best.
“He has always been an excellent observer,” his friend said. “He’s certainly one of the few people I’ve never seen doze off or zone out in a search, and that happens to observers on our long searches.”
Said Siebe, “It was fun to have him as an observer when we were over mountains. He would point and say, ‘I’ve climbed that mountain; I’ve walked over that one.’”
Ricci has another important milestone to commemorate coming up. On April 14, he and his wife, Inger, will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.
And the Polaris squadron and all of CAP are looking forward to the party honoring his 101st birthday.
