Charles Keller: The Oldest Active Duty Army Officer To Serve During The War

Charles Keller: The oldest active duty Army officer to serve during the war

Charles Keller started his military career in 1890 (Arrasmith, 2011). He first retired in 1923 after 33 years of outstanding service (Historical Vignette, 2004). In 1940, during World War II, General Keller was recalled to active duty. Upon his second retirement in 1943, he was recognized as the oldest Army officer on active duty during war (Historical Vignette, 2004). This paper provides additional information about his works and contributions in the field of United States Army Engineers.

Army Engineer Career for 33 years

General Charles Keller was born in Rochester, New York, on February 13, 1868 (Kelley, n.d.). In 1897, he married Frances Rosenfield; the couple had two sons, Ira C. and Charles

In 1940 he returned to duty as district engineer of the Corps of Engineers’ Chicago District. In this capacity he directed the construction of military posts, airfields, and ordnance and aircraft plants within the district, as well as river and harbor work and flood control projects.

At the time of his second retirement from the Army in 1943, he was 75 years of age, the oldest Army officer to serve on active duty during the war. In recognition of the achievements of his service in his fourth war, the Army awarded him with the Legion of Merit (Arrasmith, 2011).

As stated in Historical Vignette (2004), on Keller’s 75th birthday, Chief of Staff of the Army General George C. Marshall sent a letter of appreciation on February 10, 1943, noting that reports of Keller’s performance in directing many large and costly projects were inspirational, remarkable, and put a new connotation on the saying, “This is a young man’s