Staff Sergeant Kyu Hyuk Chay Memorial Foundation

Purpose

Why this foundation exists

To honor a man who spent his life helping people who were not asking for it, by doing the same.

In his brother’s words

Staff Sergeant Kyu Hyuk Chay was born on January 31, 1972. He was killed in action in Afghanistan on October 28, 2006 when his Humvee ran over an IED. As much as he is missed by his family and friends (and believe me, he leaves behind a huge hole that will never be filled) we would like to celebrate the life he lived and the impact he’s had on so many people.

As the saying goes, he marched to the beat of his own drum. He blazed his own path. But he did so with kindness and generosity. I’ve never met anyone that had a bad word to say about him. I remember when he was moving out of one house near Fort Bragg and into another. I asked him if he wanted help, even though I was in New York. He said not to worry about it because there were about ten guys coming with four trucks to help him with the move. I wasn’t really surprised that so many people came out to help. A few months before, when I visited him, I met someone that he befriended. He told me how surprised he was when my brother offered to help him move. And they only recently met, but that’s who he was.

This webpage was set up as a tribute to the values and philosophy he lived by. Family – he was a dedicated husband and father. Community service – he was always willing to help a fellow neighbor. Patriotism – he put his law career on hold because he wanted to serve his country first. Although he was taken too soon, his message and sacrifice won’t be forgotten.

— Kyu Tae Chay, brother

Portrait of Staff Sergeant Kyu Hyuk Chay in desert camouflage and helmet.

Service record

  • Born31 January 1972 in Daegu, South Korea. He came to the United States at about seven years old.
  • Enlisted2001, as a cryptologic linguist. He served with the 313th Military Intelligence Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, and transferred to 3rd Special Forces Group in 2006.
  • Unit1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He and his family lived in Fayetteville.
  • Killed28 October 2006 in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, by an improvised explosive device that detonated near his combat patrol, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was 34.
  • AwardedBronze Star and Purple Heart. He was posthumously promoted to Master Sergeant.
  • Survived byHis father and mother, his brother, his wife and two children.
  • Rests atArlington National Cemetery. His headstone reads: Kyu H. Chay, SSG USA, Jan 31 1972 – Oct 28 2006. Bronze Star. Purple Heart. Operation Enduring Freedom. Devoted husband, loving father.

Independently recorded

You do not have to take our word for any of this.

He is honored each year in the Town of New Castle Memorial Day parade in Chappaqua, where his name is carved into the town’s war memorial beneath Operation Enduring Freedom. His father goes every May. The Kyu H. Chay Youth Activity Center at Fort Bragg carries his name.

On film

A National Geographic crew was there

In October 2006 a National Geographic film crew was embedded with 3rd Special Forces Group at Firebase Cobra in Oruzgan Province, making a documentary called Inside the Green Berets. The Pentagon had waived its normal limit on embedded media and allowed the cameras to stay for ten days.

They were filming the convoy when the improvised explosive device detonated, and Kyu was killed. The film crew was hit as well — they had been recording from about thirty‑five feet away, inside the blast radius. The sound recordist, badly burned, stayed behind and went on documenting the aftermath with the only camera that still worked.

The film aired on the National Geographic Channel in June 2007, narrated by its producer and director, Steve Hoggard, who was injured in the same explosion.

We mention it here for one reason. Very few families have an independent record of the last hours of someone they lost. We do, and we would rather it be seen than sit in an archive.

Before you watch. This is real footage of an attack in which men were killed and wounded. It is difficult, and it is not something to put on casually.

Two clips, both on National Geographic’s own channel:

Under Attack, five minutes — the producer’s own account of what happened to his crew and to the Green Berets that day.

Ambush, a shorter clip from the same film.

The full fifty‑one minute film is on Netflix, and listed on IMDb.

Inside the Green Berets, National Geographic Channel, 2007. Produced and directed by Steve Hoggard.

What we set out to do

Two things, deliberately kept small enough that we can do them properly.

  • OneLocal service groups. Give once a year, without conditions, to local fire, ambulance and police departments.
  • TwoChay Scholars. Beginning in 2026, pay for the tutoring, exams and college preparation that students abroad cannot reach, in the years before college when it still changes the outcome.

Where this started

From 2021 to 2024 we worked with a local school to support its students. After a four‑year run we took a hiatus, and used it to redesign what the foundation does around the two things Kyu Hyuk gave his time to.

Who runs this

A volunteer board. Nobody is paid a salary, nobody takes a fee, and no one receives a percentage of funds raised.

  • Kyu Tae ChayPresident. Kyu’s brother, and the author of the account above.
  • Sam Soo ChayVice President. Kyu’s father. He founded the foundation in 2017.
  • Cindy ChaySecretary and Treasurer. Handles the foundation’s records, filings and student applications.

The board is made up of members of Kyu’s family. Awards to students are decided by a separate committee, none of whom are related to any applicant.

How we govern ourselves

  • BoardMeets once a year. Minutes kept every time, and decisions between meetings are recorded in writing.
  • AwardsA selection committee of at least three, none related to any applicant, decides every Chay Scholars award against published criteria and records the decision in writing.
  • GrantsAnnual gifts to service groups are decided by the full board. There is no application.
  • MoneyThe Treasurer keeps the books; the President reviews every bank statement independently. Payments above $500 need two approvals. Nobody is reimbursed without a receipt, including officers.
  • PoliciesConflict of interest, gift acceptance, document retention, whistleblower and child safety, all adopted by the board.

Contact

If you are a family wondering whether you qualify, write and ask. We would always rather hear from you.