CDR Kevin P. Childre (1961 -2015)
Kevin Paul Childre: Born in Hollywood CA on 3 Nov 1961; passed away on 21 May 2015 in Santa Barbara, California, USA. He is survived by his mother Nancy Childre, his sisters Lisa Petersen and Kathy Lang and his spouse Margaret Lum. Navy CDR Kevin Childre was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician who died in a tragic cycling accident in 2015.??
CDR Kevin Childre entered EOD school in August 1983. Upon graduation, he was assigned to EODMU 1 as a basic EOD technician. After over a decade of enlisted EOD assignments (To include EOD Mobile Unit NINE assignment), CDR Childre was commissioned in 1999 as an EOD limited duty officer. He was a spirited leader and mentor rising thru the EOD LDO ranks to serve as the TEU 1 Commanding Officer. He dedicated his professional career to mentoring, developing, and training EOD leaders.?
He is honored within EOD with the establishment of the “The CDR Kevin P. Childre Excellence Award.” The award is presented annually to one EOD officer or technician dedicated to mentoring, developing, and training EOD leaders.
CDR Kevin Childre and friends started the EOD Undefeated Bike Ride to support the EOD community in 2009, the year that was the most devastating to the EOD community in injuries and lives lost. This is the single largest annual fund raiser for EOD Warrior Foundation(EODWF).??He led six rides before his passing. EOD Undefeated Bike Ride has raised $1,373,735 in 12 years from 2009-2020 (Thank you Melissa (Mo) Tackitt (EODC Ret) and EODWF for providing this information and celebrating Kevin life).
He loved family, life, the Navy and his family and his golden-doodle(Tucker).??I want to share this from his family at the time of the accident that really provides a snippet of how much he loved his country and his EOD, “In lieu of flowers,?Childre’s?family has asked that donations be made to the?EOD Warrior Foundation in his memory.
This is Kevin's commissioning picture with his parents
“His family asks that you remember the Kevin who adored his dog, remember his smile of delight when he saw you walking up, remember his love of pizza, and of Starbucks chai teas. Think of his voice describing an exceptional climb on the bike, swearing in yet another sailor re-enlisting, laughing at anything, everything," the donation page says. "His triumphs, accomplishments are too numerous to begin to list. But this was a man who loved his family, his country, his fellow EOD brothers and sisters, and so many others."
Cyclists in EOD perhaps always think of Kevin Childre as one of "The Godfathers of EOD Undefeated Bike Ride."??Inspired by Kevin - last September 2020, I started Challenge 2022 to run 2022miles4EODWFD to raise awareness to Veteran Suicide. I am so thankful that I still have my health and use my legs to raise awareness when I can for Veteran causes.??The Challenge 2022 team is privilege to have mentors like Kevin to give us the courage we need to complete the challenge.?
For myself - my first professional encounter with Kevin was at EODMU NINE.??He was a gregarious part of the Chief’s mess that provide leadership and passed knowledge to junior NCOs like myself who were just starting out and learning our craft.??He was part of the EOD NINE Operations and Training Division who would prepare teams for deployment.???As a young Petty Officer I remember his positive attitude and mentoring.??Always positive.??Always looking at the team holistically and providing advice to the Officer in Charge, Leading Chief and individual team members as required during Operation Readiness Exercises(OREs).???He was a professional operator, but I will always remember his wit and his ability to talk to anyone at any level.??I was not surprised when I heard he made the officer rank or when I learned 2015 Undefeated Bike Ride cycling team raised over $180,000 4EODWF in 2015 (Would have been his 7th ride).??My fondest memory of Kevin goes back to my first year at EODMU NINE and sand volleyball after work one Friday for "Beer under the tree" back in the day. I came after Kevin spiked the ball over the net and followed-up with some EOD wisecracks and then turned back to his teammates and made that smirk to a smile that would almost make anyone laugh. Clearly communicating to a young sailor like myself, that we can be professional, puff our chest and be pleasant.
Kevin's athletic prowess has always inspired myself to try harder to make a difference by lacing up my running shoes and just get out there.??Whether it is memories of Kevin cracking me up at the “Roach Coach” in front of the hanger bay or inspiring me to run another mile for EODWF - his spirit will always be with us and his tragic loss cycling will - forever act as reminder of a positive force he was in our world and act as a reminder the difference a single person can make in the limited time we have on this blue planet.??RIP Kevin.?
A few thoughts provided by EOD Technician Paul Ciaccio:
I had the opportunity to work with Kevin back when he was Chief.?We worked together in Readiness & Training at EODMU-3.?Our desks were close to each other and I recall each year his desire to advance into an officer program and his persistence to achieve this goal.?He advanced to Senior Chief just before I transferred out. The one thing that did inspire me about Kevin is he always seemed so calm and collective.?He was into bicycling.?We shared jokes and had many non-work related conversations, nothing specific comes to mind though.?He was on top of the world when he eventually got selected into the officer program.?After I eventually transferred out, I learning of his tragic bike accident years later.?I was upset to learn that someone who meant so well, had a positive impact on others had perished.?I keep his name next to those whom I knew that also lost their lives.?I wanted to share how Kevin was so well known in the EOD community.?Thank you for sharing. God Speed. RIP brother.?
Provided by teammate and EOD Technician Chuck Everitt
I recall my first encounter with Kevin was at MU-1, '85-'86, back when I was a new 5331(EOD Assistant and Diver), then at dive school spring 1991, when he lovingly pt'd our butts off each morning, to lastly having him as our detachment CPO on USS Lincoln 1993.
I considered it an honor to be reconnected with him on F/B since approx 2014, and to have shared a few brief text catch ups, before his 2015 death. His last text assured me I'd receive an invite to his forthcoming retirement in SD. Instead, like so many of us, I had the honor to attend his farewell, in August 2015. Nice to see many old familiar faces that day. May he RIP and his memories survive.
Provided by Author and EOD Technician?R.L. Keck, MS
I first met Kevin in '85 at EODMU-1 when we were selected - along with Steve Guzik - to form a detachment under then lieutenant Tom Dee. Our short time together was filled with the typical challenges facing every detachment--the rigors of pre-deployment training and long periods away from family. As the leading petty officer I discovered quickly that our team was gifted with humor and wit in the person of HT2 Kevin Childre. Lack of confidence was never an issue when Kevin was around.
Above Ricky Keck, Kevin Childre and "Young" Steve Guzik
Case in point: Team Kilauea was to be the ship's rescue swimmer asset. As such we were required to attend the appropriate training class to attain this designation. Classroom instruction was uneventful and we all passed easily. The practical portion was where we shone. Swimming laps--a requirement--was an enjoyable diversion. The fastest swimmer, Kevin would be first out of the pool and lounging on a chaise, Bolle sunglasses on, and smiling as the rest of the class finished. His prowess in the water continued while deployed.
While Kilauea was anchored in Diego Garcia's lagoon, Kevin and Tom Dee(USN CAPT Ret.), refusing to wait for the liberty boat to return, swam the half-mile to the beach. I was displeased but proud. I have the photo evidence (Above).?
After hours in the shop was the time to decompress. We excelled at this. Kevin, as usual, made sure we always looked cool (evidence attached). After all, we had an image to uphold.
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This is how I will always remember Kevin.?
Above - Provided by Ricky Keck: EODMU-1 Det Hawaii circa 1985/1986. Kevin on the left, Ricky Hammer, Lt Mark Kavanaugh(USN CAPT Ret.), "Mancus" and far left Rick Keck
Bottom right: Kevin Childre, Bottom left: Mark Oliveira, Top left: Howdy Anderson, Top middle: James Phalin, Top right: Matt Jeffries
Provided by EOD Technician LCDR(Ret.) Mike "Howdy" Anderson...."Writing this was therapeutic, I smiled, I laughed, and I cried. I miss my friend, but thank you Jim for asking me to do this as I have now discovered that writing can help." - Howdy?
I first met Kevin Childre in October of 1988. I had just finished “A” school in Great Lakes and had orders to Dive School in Panama City with follow on orders to Phase One of NAVSCOLEOD to become an EOD Assistant. My orders, however, had me going to EOD Detachment Yorktown first for 4 months. I could barely spell EOD, much less know what it was. Upon arrival to Det Yorktown, I was introduced to HT1 Kevin Childre, who at the time was a Senior EOD Technician. Kevin was the designated individual at the det. (detachment) that was to provide physical training to prospective Diver/EOD candidates, which there were 10 of us at that time. What we didn’t know about Kevin is that he was on the level of a professional triathlete, having completed and finishing high in the Hawaii Ironman. Our job as “want to bes” was to get physically ready for dive school, which Kevin made sure we were all ready to go. I must say, his idea of a short quick run was not my idea of a short quick run, however the quick part is correct. Kevin never showed favoritism to anyone, but as I found out later on through the years, there were some he liked and some he didn’t, but that is Kevin, treat all the same and give everyone the opportunity to succeed.
Fortunately I was lucky enough to make through Dive School and EOD Assistant school and was subsequently stationed at Detachment Kings Bay. I stayed in touch with Kevin the best I could at that time as there was no internet or cell phones. Reaching out then consisted of a random phone call back to Detachment Yorktown to see if I could get a hold of him. On the rare occasion when I would get to talk with him, he was always happy to talk with me and little did I know at the time, he became what is termed as my “Sea Daddy”.
I finished up my time at Det Kings Bay and headed off to Indian Head to become an EOD Tech. At this time Kevin headed down to Panama City to Dive School and became an instructor. Hearing stories from people who went through Dive School at the time Kevin was there and was their instructor reminded me of how he treated everyone the same and gave everyone the opportunity to be successful. Believe me, he did not go easy on anyone, but he did treat everyone fairly.
Once I was lucky enough to get through Indian Head, I was stationed at EOD Mobile Unit NINE in Mare Island California, and as luck would have it, about 6 month later in comes HTC Kevin Childre. I was assigned to a Mine Countermeasures Teams and Kevin went into Readiness and Training to train and certify teams for deployment.?Eventually my team went through our major certification by what was called a Mine Readiness Certification Inspection (MRCI) and Kevin was the unit’s representative within the MRCI team. He was critical yet fair and our team did quite well. At times he would pull me aside and ask me questions to test my knowledge. Little did I realize at the time he was making sure I was the best EOD Tech I could be. Kevin also was a board member of my EOD Senior Tech oral board. I really don’t remember which area he had as when we met up to go over things, he would cover everything.?When I didn’t know something, he would not just give me the answer, he would nudge me in the right direction.
Upon leaving Mobile Unit NINE, I was off to the east coast and Detachment Dahlgren and Kevin stayed out west. It wasn’t until I left Dahlgren and headed out west myself to EOD Mobile Unit THREE that I was back at the same command as Kevin. He just back off of a deployment as the Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO) and I was assigned to a shipboard detachment that was to be deployed on the USS Peleliu. During our training, our team went to San Clemente Island for over a week to train. The command sent Kevin and another representative from the Readiness and Training Department to provide the various scenarios and drills to my team. Kevin at this point was a Senior Chief Petty Officer and I was a First Class Petty Officer, though not the Leading Petty Officer of the detachment. Towards the end of the week, unbeknownst to me, Kevin pulled my Chief and OIC aside and told them that our current LPO should be removed and I should take over as LPO due to my performance and leadership. I did not find this out until after we returned from our deployment. This is another example how Kevin had a major impact on my career. Upon my return from deployment, Kevin pulled me aside and told me that he wanted me to put in an application to become a Limited Duty Officer. I did what I was told and submitted the application, and no big surprise to me, I was not selected. Truth be told, I was more interested in becoming a Chief than an officer at that time.
As luck would have it, Kevin was selected to become an EOD LDO(Limited Duty Officer) and he did make his was back to Mobile Unit THREE, where he was assigned to be the Marine Mammals Department Head. I was at the time the LPO for the MK6 Marine Mammals System and when Kevin took over as Department Head, he brought me in to become the Departmental LPO. We didn’t last long in these positions, as the USS Cole was attacked by terrorist and there was an immediate request to have an EOD deploy to Bahrain to provide Anti-terrorism/Force Protection to the US assets in Bahrain. The command saw that in the Mammals Department it had an EOD LDO, a Chief Master Tech and a First Class Master Tech (me) who all could deploy without going through the entire work-up training cycle. The command filled the rest of the team out by providing two young Basic EOD Techs. So it was off to Bahrain for the next 6 months for us. I left two weeks early to conduct turn-over with a team already there, but they were rotating out. When I look back, it showed just how much trust Kevin had in me to go forward and get everything setup for the rest of the teams arrival.
After two weeks the rest of the team arrived. I had everyone set up in apartments and had our shop up to speed and ready to go. Our main job there was to conduct underwater searches on anything that would be going pier side next to any US or allied ship. This was probably the easiest deployment ever. We were on full per diem and really only worked several hours a day. Kevin had his bike, and rode it everyday. It was during this time that he introduced me to the Tour de France and we would watch it everyday. The deployment for us was winding down and we were getting ready to go home when the whole world changed on 11 September 2001. As the first plane flew into the first tower, I was watching it live on TV. I called Kevin and asked if was watching the same thing, which he was. It was during our phone conversation when the second plane hit, at which point Kevin said he was heading over to the base and figure out what was going on and what do they need from us. A few days later the command back in San Diego needed to send an EOD team with a squadron of SEALS to Afghanistan. Kevin asked us as a team if we were willing to stay and provide the support that was requested. Of course we all said yes. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on who you were, we were not assigned the mission and we headed home.
Upon our return, I was assigned to Readiness and Training and Kevin took over a team that was to deploy to Afghanistan. I know Kevin fought to get me on the team, however the command said they needed me in Readiness and Training. As easy as a coin flips, I was now in Readiness and Training putting Kevin’s team through their training cycle. We had many conversations during this time, and some of which were not so pleasant. Dealing with LDOs can be a pain in the ass, I should know. However, Kevin and I always kept it professional and remained great friends through it all. It was during this time that I made Chief and was able to get on a team that was heading to Iraq. Kevin by now was back from his Afghanistan deployment and transferred to Detachment China Lake. With Kevin as the OIC(Officer in Charge) at China Lake and I was the LCPO of a team getting ready to deploy to Iraq, I was able to work with Kevin to bring my time up to China Lake for some training. We wanted to get more demolition and clearance training in before deployment as this is what we thought we would be doing as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were not a thing yet in Iraq as this was early 2003.
During our excellent training in China Lake my team had what we would call an altercation with some locals out in town. Essentially we ran into some guys who were looking for trouble and wanted to fight us.?Knowing that getting into a fight out in town would be bad for us, I tried to defuse the situation, however the guys wanted to fight and landed a sucker punch to my jaw. As this was happening, a couple of guys from my team went to the back of our government vehicle and pulled out whatever they could find to defend ourselves. Well, next thing I know is I have two of my guys coming out swinging Kevlar helmets at the local hooligans as the rest of us just started throwing punches. After a quick minute or two, we looked around and saw all of our would be assailants sprawled out on the ground bleeding. We at that time decided it was time to go. We ended up back on base and in the barracks. My guys asked what we should do and I told them to go to sleep and we will wake up in the morning and leave as planned. As I finally laid down to go to sleep, I heard a knock at my door. It happened to be our OIC, and he was accompanied by 6 police officers. Next thing I knew, we were being rounded up and taken to the police station for questioning. Kevin as the OIC of the China Lake detachment and our sponsor for the week was notified. At around 0500 Kevin arrived in uniform and was ready to take custody of my team. He of course pulled me aside and asked what happened. I told him to whole truth and nothing but the truth. Once I completed my story, Kevin just looked at me and shook his head and started laughing. It was at this point he informed me that he already notified the China Lake Base Commanding Officer as well as our Commanding Officer at the Mobile Unit. My career at this point felt like it was on life support. Kevin then let me know that when the base CO was informed what happened, he told Kevin that “good, those guys finally got what they deserve”. Apparently the guys who came after us were known local trouble makers and had a history of finding military personnel from the base and beating them up. I asked Kevin what my CO at the mobile unit said, and Kevin let me know that he will deal with us when we get back later in the day.
Later that morning, after cleaning up the blood of the side or our truck, we headed back to San Diego. During the ride back, I received a phone call from the police and they informed that no charges were going to be pressed against us and asked us to be safe on our deployment. Well that was a relief. Now we had to deal with our CO back home. Kevin thankfully had a good relationship with our CO and was able to explain that it wasn’t our fault and we were just defending ourselves. He even let him know that I took a punch in the face first. I had no idea what waited for us upon our return.
We pulled up to the front of the mobile unit and the Operations Officer was waiting for us and let us know that the CO wanted to see the OIC and myself ASAP. Expecting to be in some trouble, both myself and the OIC made it up to the CO’s office and went in to see him. By the look on his face, I knew we were done, however after a couple of seconds, he just broke out in a laugh and said that nothing will bring a team together than getting into a brawl. He told us that he had no doubt that we were ready to deploy. Without Kevin’s top-cover, I really don’t know how this would work out.
Upon returning from my Iraq deployment, I was informed that I was selected to be an EOD LDO. Without Kevin’s influence throughout the years, I’m quite positive this would not have happened. Kevin was the guest speaker at my commissioning and we continued to talk either through email or by phone every couple of weeks. He was more than a mentor to me, he was my Sea-Daddy. I’m not so delusional to think Kevin was only a Sea Daddy to myself, but I do believe I was one of the first. Kevin would always have some word of advice for me, and sometimes it wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was something I needed to hear. Years later when Kevin became the Commanding Officer at EOD Training and Evaluation Unit ONE, I happened to be in town for work. Of course went to see him and we had a few lunches together talking about the old time and the new times we were both experiencing. It wasn’t much after this visit that I received a phone call that Kevin had tragically died on a bike ride. It was, and still is, a major kick in my gut. It was like Superman lost his Cap and powers. Impossible. Several years later, it was my time to retire and of course I had a ceremony. One of my most honored guest was not some high ranking officer, but Kevin’s wife Margaret Lum. I’ve known Margaret since my “want to be” days at Det Yorktown. Seeing her made me feel like Kevin was there and it brought a smile to my face. I miss my friend everyday, but he would just tell me that I should keep going and keep smiling and having fun.
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EOD techs take on one of the most dangerous jobs in our military, working across all service branches -- Air Force, Marines, Navy and Army. As bomb disposal experts, their job ensures the protection of fellow service members from unexploded ordnance -- a critical mission in war zones where insurgents use IEDs as a weapon of choice. Due to the dangerous nature of their job, EOD specialists experience one of the highest percentage rates of injury.
Make a contribution in Kevin’s name as part of 2022 Challenge.?
Read about Challenge??- Run2022Miles4EODWF below:
Director of Business Development
1 年I very well remember Kevin kicking my ass in the 1986-1989 EODMU-1 Friday "Run/Swim/Run" PT, he was unbeatable and humble. Loved it! Mike Egan
Navy veteran and former aerospace industry executive
3 年I had the great honor, privilege and pleasure of racing with Kevin in the mid- to late-1980s during the early years of triathlons. He was an outstanding athlete and Navy teammate who I enjoyed competing with and against immensely. I will think of him during tomorrow’s training ride, and many days thereafter.
Jim, Terrific tribute to Kevin, who made such a positive impact on all of us.
Head of City Operations at Opendoor
3 年The best.