Chuck and TUC

Indiana native Charles “Chuck” Lee began his Army career with the 82nd Airborne in 1988 before completing his training as an Army Ranger in 1990. Throughout his career he was deployed to both Panama, and later Iraq. After the Iraq deployment he enlisted in the US Army National Guard and served from 1991-1997. After nine years of service to our country, Chuck retired in 1997 on full disability as a result of both his time as a paratrooper and later exposure to chemical weapons in Iraq. As his health worsened, he spent time hospitalized from 2000-2005. As a result of his hospitalization, and the pain and disabilities that Chuck experienced post-service, he dedicates his time and energies to the service of others. He continues to volunteer for numerous activities and causes for disabled and wounded veterans.

After his hospitalization, Chuck was gifted an all-terrain chair from the Independence Fund. He was thrilled to have the mobility to do the mundane tasks that no longer seemed so mundane. In 2010, Chuck, along with his wife Annette founded Freedom for All Mobility, with the intention of providing more veterans with similar all-terrain chairs. The organization worked with multiple non-profits, which support the disabled veteran community. While Chuck had more freedom with his all-terrain chair, he and Annette sought to improve on the comfort and overall dependability of the chair. With a dream but no tangible resources to manifest it, Chuck and Annette were introduced to an innovative company called Ring-Co.

Through this connection with Ring-Co, Chuck used his past experiences with other track chairs to help create a new tracked utility carrier that would have the highest ride quality while setting a new standard in performance for track chairs.

Chuck met with the Ring-Co team and expressed his desire to better the lives of American veterans by providing them with freedom, mobility, and a tool to help them complete tasks that seemed to be impossible. The Ring-Co team dove into research and design, and developed a vehicle beyond what Chuck and Annette could have imagined. The scalable, unique, and patented features of the tracked utility carrier made it attractive for not just veterans, but also for the elderly, disabled, and outdoor recreational audience. As the relationship with Ring-Co grew, Chuck and Annette decided to join them as Directors of Veteran Affairs. The couple has been invaluable to Ring-Co, with Chuck’s service helping to connect with veterans, resources. The partnership is more like a family than a business relationship

While there are many other track chairs on the market, there are none that have been so focused on “utility”. The folks at Ring-Co really responded to Chuck when gave them his wish list for a vehicle that would not only allow differently-abled people to be mobile, but also give them the ability to do everyday tasks that seem impossible. Imagine being able to mow your lawn or push the snow from your driveway. Chuck’s wish to bring freedom back to those who fought for the freedom of others became a reality. Chuck believes the TUC can have a significant effect on the overall well being of anyone who longs to enjoy life, even if they have to do it a little differently than most people.