Air Force pair

OAHU, Hawaii — Chaise Lowe and Charlie Freel met in an otherwise normal way for Americans enlisted in the United States Air Force.

Chaise had been assigned to work as Charlie’s executive assistant in June 2022 at the Headquarters Pacific Air Forces in the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Oahu, Hawaii.

Simple enough. But neither Chaise or Charlie realized until nearly a year later what made their situation unique — they’re both Jay County High School graduates.

“I figured he was from Indiana because he went to Notre Dame,” explained Chaise, a Redkey native. “But I never asked the question, until just one day, we were just chit-chatting.”

“This is the first time I’ve actually ran into somebody from Jay County in the military,” said Charlie, who has been in the service for about 25 years. “I ran into people, back at Portland, coming back for the fair or something, and they’re in the service, but never actually in uniform. And for him to actually be lucky enough (to be stationed) with me, I’m like, this is crazy.”

Charlie graduated Jay County High School in 1993, the same year as Chaise was born. The Portland native earned a bachelor’s degree in government and international relations from the University of Notre Dame in 1997 and graduated officer training school in ’98.

His assignments through the years have included tactical intelligence support for F-15C and F-16 fighter wings, instructor and chief of academics at United States Air Force Weapons School, chief of wing intelligence for Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska and commander of the 691st intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). He spent about three years in Japan and four years in Korea.

Prior to his director role, he served as chief of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and analysis division from June 2019 to June 2020 at the Hawaii base before transitioning to a commander role in Meade, Maryland, for two years. Charlie’s uniforms and other memorabilia from the Iraq War are on display at Museum of the Soldier in Portland.

Chaise joined the Air Force after graduating from Jay County High School in 2012. He graduated from technical training as a knowledge operations apprentice the same year. Chaise served as a commander’s support staff specialist for the 88th security forces squadron at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base of Greene County, Ohio, in 2016, the same year he was deployed to Afghanistan to fill in a senior non-commissioned officer role. 

According to his United States Air Force biography, Chaise earned the Air Force’s Commendation Medal with a Combat “C” device for a 27-hour complex attack in which he exposed himself to enemy fire in order to locate and escort 30 military and civilian contractors. A wounded warrior, he participates in archery, cycling, track and air pistol shooting in the Air Force’s Department of Defense Warrior Games.

Chaise served as the non-commissioned officer in charge for the 324th intelligence squadron at the base in Oahu, Hawaii, starting in September 2019. He took on the executive assistant position in June 2022 and started working for Charlie.

As the Pacific Air Forces director of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, Charlie facilitates the collection of intelligence in the Indo-Pacific area, ensuring leaders are up to speed with ongoing events. Chaise acts in a support role for Charlie and his staff of between 60 to 80 military personnel.

Having another Jay County local on staff at a base more than 4,000 miles away from home had its benefits.

“In passing, we’ll just kind of like making some inside jokes about things that are normal for, not just for Hoosiers but people from Jay County,” said Chaise, noting local staples such as the annual Tri-State Antique Engine and Tractor Show.

They discussed relatives, discovering Chaise’s stepfather graduated in the same class  as Charlie’s sister.

“It proves that it’s a small, small town,” Charlie said. “I didn’t tell my parents that I met Chaise, and it only took like two days before my parents call me and said, ‘Hey, we hear a kid from Jay County works for you.’” 

They also shared other similarities. Both men play video games and tabletop games in their spare time, although Chaise has been staying busy in his off-duty hours with his children. One dissimilarity between the two — Chaise’s children are 3 and 6 years old while Charlie’s children are 15 and 17.

“We’re opposite ends of the spectrum as far as the kids go,” Chaise said.

But like most military personnel, both Chaise and Charlie are onto new places soon. Chaise will be relocating to Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Illinois, in late March, and Charlie has been selected to be the next Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps detachment commander at the University of Notre Dame starting in July or August.

Although they bonded over their shared heritage and hobbies, Chaise and Charlie ultimately earned a mutual respect for one another.

Chaise will miss his boss’ attitude and outlook on Air Force operations as a whole.

“(He’s) a very, very sound decision-maker,” Chaise said. “If there’s something wrong, he will call people out on the spot. It’s that kind of stuff I appreciate in a leader.”

Charlie said he wasn’t looking forward to replacing Chaise. He complimented his assistant’s skills on the job.

“I am going to miss him severely,” Charlie said. “He is highly competent. He knows his job and fixes things that a lot of people say can’t be fixed. He understands how the system works … his ability to do that is impressive, and it’s rare to find somebody with that talent. And when you do, you tend not to want to let them go. The Air Force, like all military, is just one giant bureaucracy, and having someone that helps cut through the red tape is invaluable.”