The 2005 Castle Memorial Award is presented to Lieutenant General Charles E. Buckingham, U.S. Air Force (Ret) for outstanding service to the Nation, to the U.S. Air Force, and to West Point. Lieutenant General Buckingham has exemplified "Duty, Honor, Country" throughout his active duty and subsequent career and retirement.

General Buckingham graduated from West Point in 1946 with a commission in the Army Air Corps and his pilot wings. His assignment flying B-29s was shortened to attend weaponeer training at Sandia Base and a subsequent assignment training assembly teams and weaponeers on the operation of the atomic bomb. In 1949, he was assigned to the 11th Bombardment Group, distinguishing himself as a B-36 pilot, weaponeer, and aircraft commander. In 1952 as a B-36 pilot and weaponeer, he was responsible for the largest ever atomic bomb dropped from an aircraft at the test site on Eniwetok Island in the Pacific.

Assigned to the Pentagon in 1953, he distinguished himself as project officer for procurement of B-47 and B-58 aircraft, and as Executive Officer to the Assistant for Production Programming. While assigned as the Procurement Contracting Officer of the Air Material Force, European Area, from 1957 to 1960, he developed a tracking system that was implemented throughout Europe. This system brought about increased efficiency and saved the U.S. Air Force millions of dollars.

In June 1961, General Buckingham graduated from George Washington University with an MBA and was assigned to the Minuteman System Program Office. He quickly established a reputation as being one of the most knowledgeable officers in the acquisition of Air Force weapons systems. As Chief of Program Control, he developed financial systems that were adopted DOD-wide. In 1967, on graduation from the Industrial College as a distinguished graduate, he was assigned to the Pentagon and given responsibility for programs covering half of the Air Force budget. This entailed numerous briefings to the Air Staff, OSD, OMB, and responsible Congressional Committees. In 1972, as a brigadier general, he became the Deputy Chief of Staff for Procurement of the Air Force Logistics Command, and later was chosen to organize the ommand's Acquisition Logistics Organization. In this position, he developed Reliability Improvement Warranties that were incorporated into the F-16 procurement program. For this and other contributions, he was awarded his first Distinguished Service Medal and the Air Force Thomas P. Gerrity Award for creating a new awareness of the logistics requirement in weapons system design for maximum cost control. In 1975, General Buckingham was chosen to be the Comptroller of the Air Force and promoted to Lieutenant General. He retired from the Air Force in 1978.

General Buckingham was a founding Director, Vice Chairman, and Chairman of the Air Force Retired Officers Community, owner and operator of Falcons Landing, a premier Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in the Washington, D.C. area. He led the effort to conduct due diligence and selected the companies to provide development and marketing, design/build, and investment banking. He personally appeared before several Loudoun County, Virginia, groups to secure the necessary approvals for the project to include authority to issue bonds totaling $88 million. He negotiated a guaranteed maximum price design/build contract that was not exceeded and monitored construction progress until completion in January 1997. Prior to the initial opening in May 1996, he selected key staff personnel to run Falcons Landing and monitored the numerous tasks necessary for a smooth operation and elegant lifestyle that are its hallmarks. This CCRC for military officers of all the services, their spouses and widows/widowers, is accredited by the Continuing Care Retirement Commission. Only 15 percent of CCRCs are accredited throughout the United States. He was the Chairman of the AFROC Board of Directors from 1996 until he and his wife, Gloria, became residents in 2001. He continues to assist the AFROC Board in carrying out its responsibilities as Chairman Emeritus and served as representative of the Board for the 2004 refmancing, thus saving Falcons Landing a half a million dollars a year. In addition, he is a member of the Falcons Landing Residents' Council, a group elected by the residents to act as their representative with the management and the Board.

In 2003, he conceived and carried out an action plan to obtain legislation by the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate to approve a Certificate of Public Need (COPN) for Falcons Landing. The COPN was adopted and permits the admission of non-residents into the Falcons Landing Health Center on a space-available basis. The net result is a savings to Falcons Landing residents of $400,000 per year and the opportunity to provide needed health care beds to the outside community. In 2001, General Buckingham spearheaded the effort to purchase adjacent property in order to develop a 44-unit assisted living facility to enhance the services provided at Falcons Landing. Groundbreaking for the new facility was on September 8, 2004. General Buckingham continually demonstrates his concern for the welfare and morale of commissioned retirees of all the Armed Forces who served our country during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

General Buckingham served West Point as President of the Class of 1946 and Chairman of the 40th Reunion. During the reunion, he presented "The Cadet Park," located on the shore of the Hudson, to the Superintendent on behalf of the class. He continues his assistance to West Point through membership on several class committees. Recently, he organized and hosted a social at Falcons Landing for the young graduates of the D.C. Society with the older graduates who are residents. Be continues to informally mentor and encourage the younger graduates of the Academy.

In recognition of his long and distinguished service symbolizing the highest ideals of West Point, the West Point Society of D.C. is pleased to honor Lieutenant General Charles E. Buckingham with the Castle Memorial Award for 2005.