Charlie Krauch’s focus will be on his garage duties with Furniture Row Racing and the No. 78 Chevrolet driven by Regan Smith this Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. But Veteran’s Day, comrades past and â especially â those currently in service to the nation won’t be far from the mind of the U.S. Army Vietnam War soldier. Krauch, the Denver-based team’s director of transportation, served as a Specialist Fourth Class with the U.S. Army from 1971-73 maintaining heavy equipment at bases near Hue and later at Da Nang. His unit was the last to leave his first base as the American presence wore down. Krauch then was a passenger on the final Freedom Flight out of Da Nang. “My thoughts are with the soldiers in there now,” said Krauch, who is proud of how America is thanking its post-9/11 service members. “But all (who have served) should be acknowledged for what they’ve done. We know what the active ones are going through. We need to take care of all these people (but) the guys in the past need to be recognized as well.” Krauch, 59, a native of Hamburg, Pa. now living in Greeley, Colo., is grateful for the positive experiences his military service provided. “It was a job that few people wanted to do but we did it,” he said of serving in Vietnam. “Learning a sense of authority was a real eye-opener, how to take (and execute) orders at a young age. “The whole experience taught me how good we have it here and how to take care of yourself and other people.” On race weekends, Krauch wears a number of hats, typical of a one-car team whose members are expected to perform multiple duties. He and his truck drivers are responsible for setting up equipment and observation decks. During the race itself Krauch will haul gas cans back and forth to the Sunoco fuel station as well as handling the transport of tires to and from the Goodyear Tire Station inside the garage. He also conducts pit tours for Furniture Row guests and prospective sponsors. “I try to explain everything in layman’s terms and try not to get too technical,” he said. “There’s a lot of information to absorb and most of the people on the tours have no clue as to what happens” behind the scenes.(Furniture Row Racing/NASCAR)(11-11-2011)
