Jones County veteran’s club pays tribute to CRPD Lieutenant and a fallen Marine

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – One of the members of a Jones County Veterans club was recognized after passing away in a motorbike accident three years prior.

Lieutenant Chuck Mincks was a former Marine and resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In addition, he belonged to the Anamosa Teufelhund Veterans Group. When Mincks was in a motorbike accident in Jones County in 2021, he was paying tribute to another passionate motorcycle rider.

Teufelhund raises money in his honor and gives it to a charity that is special to him every year.

“I’m very biased, but I think he was extraordinary,” said Sue Mincks, Chuck’s wife.

She explained that this year they decided to collect money for the “Downed Officers Fund” of the Cedar Rapids Police Protective Charity.

“Anything we did he was always prepared for something to happen,” she said. “So when I said it was everything, it kind of encompasses his personality.”

They brought in $2,000. The funds will be used to support the family of an officer who is murdered or seriously injured. a fund that was established recently.

“What we are looking to do long term is when an officer is forced to retire early due to injury, we can kind of supplement,” said Cedar Rapids Police Protective Charity Treasurer Charity Hansel. “The money can be invested. We’re looking at all these things we can do. We wanted to get ahead of the power curve and not wait for something bad to happen.”

For more than ten years, Officer Hansel and Lieutenant Mincks collaborated closely.

“He was a friend, and so it was very shocking that he had died in a motorcycle accident,” she said. “That’s why it was really important for me to be a part of this.”

According to his friends and family, Mincks left a deep impression on everyone he came into contact with. This memorial ride was a chance to memorialize him in a way that he would have desired, even though he is no longer with us.

“The group is not going to forget him,” said Sue. “The fact that so many people are forgotten so quickly is one way to keep bringing the memory up of what the group {Teufelhund} is about which was extremely important to Chuck.”