Lt. Col. Nicholas N. Chronis

Nicholas N. Chronis, Retired Army Officer, Executive, and Civic Leader Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Nicholas N. “Nick” Chronis, a retired U.S. Army officer, business executive, sailing and boating safety instructor, and civic leader died Saturday August 12, 2023. He was 84. He resided in the New Orleans, LA area for over 30 years before moving to Mt. Pleasant, SC in 2018. 

LTC Chronis, the son of the late Nicholas P. and Rose Chronis, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was educated in the public school system before graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1961. A Distinguished Military Graduate in the U. S. Army’s ROTC Program, he was awarded a commission in the Regular Army to mark the beginning of a military career that spanned over 20 years of active commissioned service. LTC Chronis began his military service as a rifle platoon leader in a parachute infantry battalion in the Panama Canal Zone. This assignment was followed by extensive training in counter-guerrilla planning and tactics at the John F. Kennedy Center for Special Warfare. He graduated from the Army’s Counterinsurgency School and earned his “Green Beret” before assuming command of a Special Forces Team that was specifically organized to combat an emerging terrorist threat in Southeast Asia. His military duties included tours of duty as a platoon, detachment, company, and battalion commander; a variety of staff assignments including three years as a division-level Inspector General, Division Provost Marshal, two years as a Human Resources Planner at the Army’s Washington, DC Headquarters and two years of Pentagon service in the Office of the Secretary of the Army as a Legislative Liaison Officer to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. His overseas service involved assignments in foreign countries including Viet Nam, Germany, Thailand and Panama. 

LTC Chronis’ awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, four Meritorious Service Medals, three Air Medals, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army General Staff Badge and multiple campaign and foreign government awards. He also was a Master Parachutist. LTC Chronis earned a master's degree in Criminology and Higher Education at Florida State University. This degree, his years of experience in counter-terrorism activities and his professional certification as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) underpinned his qualification to serve as a part-time instructor for the University of Maryland. 

After retiring from the U.S. Army, LTC Chronis accepted a management position with a government contractor where he specialized in security planning and analysis for defense nuclear production facilities. His work resulted in serial promotions and, ultimately, appointment to the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager of the contract for providing physical security and law enforcement support for the Department of Energy’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves in Louisiana and Texas. In addition to his military and civilian professional activities, LTC Chronis was an avid sailor who taught American Sailing Association Courses on Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. He also taught boating safety courses for the United States Power Squadron and also supervised that organization’s Vessel Safety Check Program. 

In recent years as a volunteer instructor at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville, LA, he taught thousands of local elementary school children the importance of water safety. LTC Chronis was an enthusiastic supporter of the “Love-on-a-Leash” Program where members took their certified therapy dogs to nursing homes, hospitals, special schools and libraries to provide interactive visits. Creatively, he authored a historical biography about his parents and family entitled “Memories Eternal”; he also enjoyed painting in watercolors. LTC Chronis was a founding member and officer of the Mandeville on the Lake Civic Association. He also enjoyed memberships in Rotary International (where he was named a Paul Harris Fellow), The United States Power Squadron, The American Society for Industrial Security, the American Legion, The Military Officers Association, The Disabled American Veterans, and The Order of AHEPA. LTC Chronis also served as Special Assistant to the President of the International Hospital for Children (IHC). In this capacity, he wrote multiple plans, reports and other documents to support IHC’s charitable medical activities overseas. Following Hurricane “Mitch” in 1998, he made two extended trips to Honduras to assist in the delivery of emergency medical and humanitarian assistance in the wake of that country’s worst natural disaster. He served multiple terms as a member and elected officer of the Board of Trustees at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New Orleans where he also served as founder and Chairman of the Cathedral’s Planning Commission, Chairman for Support to Habitat for Humanity, Chairman of the Cathedral’s Welcoming Ministry, Chairman of the Cathedral’s Safety and Security Committee and also as a teacher in the Cathedral’s Sunday School and Vacation Bible School programs. His charitable support to the Orthodox Faith also included sponsorship of a Family Camp for Autistic Children and the construction of a mission church in Kenya. At his new home in S. Carolina, he was an active member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church where he volunteered in multiple community functions. 

LTC Chronis’ survivors include his wife of 62 years, S. Diane Chronis of Mt. Pleasant, SC; son, Colonel Nicholas P. Chronis and wife Julie, of Salt Lake City, UT; daughter, Suzanne C. Rodgers of Mt. Pleasant, SC and husband Dr. J. Keith Rodgers; son Mark D. Chronis of Richmond, VA; grandchildren: Matthew D. Rodgers, Sarah Ann Rodgers, Claire M. Rodgers, Nicholas C. Chronis and Gavin A. Chronis, and; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. 

He was pre-deceased by his brother Peter N. Chronis and his sisters, Marie C. Esihos and Penelope C. Lawrence. 

A visitation and Orthodox Trisagion Service will be conducted Wednesday, August 16, 2023 in J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Home on Calhoun Street in Charleston from 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. followed by the Trisagion Service at 6:00 p.m. LTC Chronis’ burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Tulane University Cancer Center, New Orleans, or; St. Irene Chapter, Ladies Philoptochos Society, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Charleston, SC.