Carl Frederick Knabe II

Carl Frederick Knabe II, 79, of Springfield, Virginia, passed away at INOVA Fairfax Hospital on June 27, 2022, following complications from his treatment for bladder cancer. Carl is survived by his wife, Belinda Knabe, and daughters Alexandra and Victoria Knabe. He was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Eleanor Knabe, and brothers, Huntley and Eric Knabe.

Carl (family nickname Skipper) was born on February 21, 1943 in Washington, D.C, the eldest of three boys born to Carl Frederick and Eleanor Layton Knabe. Carl’s brothers, Huntley Raun (often called Hunt) and Eric Allen were born in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, respectively. By tradition, the three brothers had an annual group photograph of them sitting together on a photographer’s bench. With each year that passed, one could see the same sports jacket being handed down from brother to brother.

Carl’s family moved frequently due to his father’s career with the General Electric Company. Carl began elementary school in Baltimore, and continued his elementary, junior high, and high school education in Schenectady, New York. The family then moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he graduated from South Side High School in 1961.

After high school, Carl earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Indiana University in 1967 and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Auburn University in 1980. During his time at Indiana University, Carl was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He entered undergraduate pilot training at Webb Air Force Base, Texas, in September 1967, and received pilot wings in September 1968.

From June 1969 to May 1970, Carl flew the OV-10 as a Forward Air Controller for the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron at Pleiku Air Base in South Vietnam. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 11 Oak Leaf Clusters, and Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam.

Upon his return from Vietnam, Carl held assignments as an instructor pilot and flight commander at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi and the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. He also served as chief of standardization and evaluation, flight commander, and instructor pilot at U.S. Military Assistance Command, Thailand, Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base. Carl graduated first in his class from Squadron Officer’s School in 1974.

After completing Signals Intelligence Officer School in 1976, Carl was assigned to the National Security Agency headquarters. He served as a Special Tactical Activity Research Analyst and Chief of the Special Weapons Research and Development Section, and was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal (first Oak Leaf Cluster) by the NSA.

In August 1982, Carl was assigned as a politico-military affairs officer in the policy division of the J-5 Directorate, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, West Germany. Four years later, in 1986, he joined the U.S. delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium, as a political military and arms control planner.

While working at NATO, Carl met Belinda Coull, of Gloucestershire, England, who worked as an executive assistant for the International Staff at NATO headquarters. They married in Belinda’s home village of Tibberton, Gloucestershire, England on June 18, 1988. Carl and Belinda have two daughters, Alexandra Eleanor and Victoria Mary.

Carl was promoted to the rank of Colonel in March 1989. The following year, he and Belinda relocated to Springfield, Virginia while Carl reported to Washington, D.C. to attend attaché training. He assumed the duties of U.S. air attaché to Hungary in July 1991, and the family lived in Budapest until he retired from the Air Force in 1995.

Following his retirement, the Knabe family returned to Springfield, where Carl worked for another 27 years as a federal contractor. He spent 15 years as a Senior Information Assurance Analyst for SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) and worked an additional five years as a Principal Cybersecurity Analyst with Leidos. At the time of his passing, Carl was working as an Information Systems Security Officer for Broadleaf, Inc.

Carl was an avid animal lover, and the Knabe family have always been a multi-pet household. He and Belinda enjoyed taking their dogs for walks through the many scenic parks in the area surrounding their home. For nearly 20 years, Carl regularly spent his weekends as a volunteer Dog Obedience instructor at South Run Rec Center. He will long be remembered by his neighbors and fellow members of the local canine community.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Carl’s Celebration of Life at the Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Rd, Springfield, VA 22151, on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 12:00pm (ET). The service will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person. Interment at Carl’s final resting place, Arlington National Cemetery, where he will be received with full military honors, will take place at a later date. Please visit www.demainefunerals.com for additional details and to leave a memory for Carl’s family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Carl’s name to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW): https://www.vfw.org/, or to Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, a 501c(3) Equine Welfare Organization committed to saving draft and draft cross horses from slaughter, abuse, and neglect: https://www.gentlegiantsdrafthorserescue.org/