Long before Brigis was a Green Beret teaching unconventional warfare, he was living as an insurgent, battling Soviet troops in his native Latvia.

In addition to battling Soviet troops as part of a ragtag militia, he served in the German army during World War II, was an AWOL soldier, a prisoner of war and, finally, a refugee of war-torn Europe.

After he found his way to America, Brigis served as a seasonal farm worker and did odd jobs before finding his calling in an Army recruiter's office in southern California.

He later served as part of a peacekeeping force in postwar Europe, a soldier, a paratrooper and a Green Beret, before he retired to a sprawling property in Lee County and spent six years building a log cabin with his own hands.

In Vietnam, Brigis served with the 5th Special Forces Group and worked behind the scenes to help train and outfit Vietnamese troops.

He later brought those lessons back to Fort Bragg, where he taught at what was then called the U.S. Army Special Warfare School, a precursor to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

Brigis, who retired as a master sergeant in 1976, has played many roles in several conflicts.

Retired Army MSG Charles Brigis, 90, passed away Friday, August 12, 2016, in the NC State Veterans Nursing Home in Fayetteville. Mr. Brigis was a pilot with the Civil Air Patrol.

Surviving is a daughter, Susanne Creed and husband, Frank, of Fayetteville; son, Jimmy Brigis of Texas; stepdaughter, Pamela Steen and husband, Donald, of Sanford, NC; and eight grandchildren.

Citations from:

http://www.news.lv

http://www.fayobserver.com/military/from-latvia-to-fort-bragg-charles-brigis-had-remarkable-military/article_0428cd58-d0f4-5d24-aebb-daaa4d43800b.html

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