Charles Keith Springle

Cmdr. Charles Keith Springle, 52, of Camp Lejeune, formerly of Beaufort, was killed Monday, May 11, 2009, while deployed to the Army 55th Medical Company Combat Stress Center at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq.

He served in the U.S. Navy for 21 years as a clinical social worker, serving in Alaska, Japan, Spain, Tennessee, Germany and North Carolina. His undergraduate and graduate work was completed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he received his Ph.D. in social work from the University of Alabama. The primary focus of his work involved counseling service men and women suffering effects of stress from battle, multiple deployments and family issues.

Before his tour in Iraq, he was deployed for one year to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. While there, he treated service members wounded in combat. He volunteered for deployment to Iraq in January because he felt the greatest need for his services was there at the heart of the battle.

He is remembered by family and friends as a man who loved life and lived it to the fullest. He enjoyed travel, music and sports, and although he was fully dedicated to his work, he also loved his family immensely.

Funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Munden Funeral Home Chapel, Morehead City.

Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery.

He is survived by his wife, Susan, of 25 years; his son, Cpl. Charles K. Springle Jr., USMC; his daughter, Sarah Monday, and son-in-law, Sgt. Michael Monday, USMC; parents, Charles E. and Ruth B. Springle; sister, Tammy Mahouchick, and husband, Dennis; brother, Thomas Springle (CDR, U.S. Navy, Ret.) and wife, Marilyn; sister, Donna Lynn Smith; and grandson, Joshua Phillip Monday.

Family and friends have established the Charles Keith Springle, Ph.D. Memorial Scholarship Fund for interested donors. The scholarship will support military-dependent students in the Masters of Social Work program at the University of  North Carolina School of Social Work, who are working with military families or have an interest in mental health care for veterans and their families. Contributions may be made to the UNC School of Social Work (payee) c/o UNC School of Social Work Development Office, 325 Pittsboro St., Campus Box 3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3550. Contact: Mary Beth Hernandez, 919-962-6469, or marybeth@email.unc.edu.

The family will receive friends from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday prior to the service at the funeral home.