CIWT Commander Presents Plaque to Family of Former Executive Director at Memorial Service
22 November 2021
From Kurt Van Slooten
Capt. Mark Ratkus, commander of the Center for Information Warfare Training attended the memorial service for retired Senior Chief Petty Officer Charles “Chuck” Bragg Sr., former CIWT executive director, at Bellview Baptist Church, on Nov. 19, 2021. Before the service, Ratkus was able to meet with Bragg’s children, to offer his condolences and to present the plaque from wall of the Bragg Conference Room, in honor of his years of service to the Navy during his 54 year career.
Capt. Mark Ratkus, commander of the Center for Information Warfare Training attended the memorial service for retired Senior Chief Petty Officer Charles “Chuck” Bragg Sr., former CIWT executive director, at Bellview Baptist Church, on Nov. 19, 2021.
Before the service, Ratkus was able to meet with Bragg’s children, to offer his condolences and to present the plaque from wall of the Bragg Conference Room, in honor of his years of service to the Navy during his 54 year career.
Ratkus told Bragg’s family that as executive director of what was the Naval Technical Training Center at the time, their father paved the way to what CIWT is today; transitioning from only providing cryptologic training to now offering courses in cyber security, information technology, military intelligence training and many others as well. Ratkus explained that the command that their father worked for has expanded to 20 different locations across the United States and Japan, providing training to approximately 26,000 students a year.
“During his tenure as executive director, Chuck essentially led the mission,” said Ratkus. “He was involved with every aspect of our training mission, from facilities, to curriculum development to course implementation in the schoolhouse.”
“As a result of his time at Corry, we affectionately call him the honorary mayor of Corry Station,” said Ratkus. “We named the command conference room at our headquarters the Chuck Bragg Conference Room.”
After describing some of Bragg’s accomplishments, Ratkus presented the plaque to Charles “Skip” Bragg Jr. and his brothers Larry, David, and Bobby and their sisters Katrina and Luann.
“The plaque I am presenting to you today has hung in our conference room to honor Chuck’s memory and impact to our mission,” said Ratkus. “And with our respects I want to present it to his family so you have something to remember us by. He left an indelible mark on the United States Navy, Corry Station and the team.”
“Being named mayor of Corry Station made him so proud,” said Charles Bragg Jr. “He bled Navy, it never stopped, and we are very proud of that.”
Following the memorial Bragg was interred at Barrancas National Cemetary on Naval Air Station Pensacola.