Journal-News.com

HAMILTON — Sgt. Charles "Chuckie" Webb was a teenage "punk," according to his mother. The Hamilton High School student never did anything terribly wrong, but he liked to play pranks.

"He was our youngest child and only boy," Barbara Webb said. "He wasn't a perfect child, but he was Chuckie — fun loving and always had a big old grin on his face."

Regardless of his reputation, Webb had a compassionate side.

"My favorite memory of him had to have been probably when he called me in the middle of the night when it was getting dark and he didn't want me to tell mom about him skateboarding," said his sister, Teresa Webb, of suburban Dayton.

"He wanted me to give this little old man a ride home, and he had given him the coat off of his back. He made me promise not to tell his friends because he didn't want his punk reputation to be jeopardized," she said.

After high school, Charles Webb joined the Army. Shortly before he was deployed to fight in Iraq, he told his parents how much the Army had helped him grow up and set his priorities straight.

Not long after, the 22-year-old was killed by a roadside bomb in the line of duty with the United States Army in Salman Park, Iraq, Nov. 3, 2004. He was serving with Company A of the 82nd Engineering Battalion.

"It's been almost three and half a years, and it's just been a longer time and it hasn't been much easier," his mother said. "We miss him dearly and think of him on a daily basis."

He was a happy-go-lucky young man who was well-liked by his friends — and adored by his nieces and nephews, she added.

His sister said his death took a toll on her household and deeply affected her children.

"Their Uncle Chuckie was their father figure, big brother, and let them tag along wherever he went," she said. "He was a big part of their life. He fought battles for them and protected them from bullies."

Members of the Webb family said they do not support the war but they support the troops fighting in the war.

On the grounds of Hamilton High School rests a maple tree planted by the Webbs' former neighbors, commemorating Charles Webb's sacrifice. Now a plaque rests under the tree in honor of all the graduates fighting in Iraq. Nearby, bricks are laid in the ground with the names of graduates who have died in the war.

At Teresa Webb's house, a floral scent always lingers as not a day goes by when a yellow rose cannot be found in her home. It rests in honor of her brother, representing San Antonio — where he was born — to remind the family he is always in their hearts.