About the Foundation
C4 Mission Statement
The C4 Foundation provides support and resources through science-based programs to active duty Navy SEALs and their families. We strengthen family relationships and enhance support networks for our most elite warriors, their immediate families and the SEAL community as a whole.
Who was C4?
Chief Petty Officer Charles Humphrey Keating, IV, intimately known as C4, grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He was the eldest of 5 siblings and a star athlete at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, AZ, graduating in the Class of 2004. He attended Indiana University and was a member of the track and field team. In 2007, he joined the United States Navy. On January 27, 2016, Charlie married the love of his life, Brooke Ainsworth Clark, in a private wedding shortly before his last deployment. On May 3, 2016, Charles Keating fought fearlessly and made the ultimate sacrifice defending his brothers AND OUR FREEDOM. He will never be forgotten.
The C4 Ranch
The 560-acre C4 Ranch is home to an American Bison, cattle, swine, horses for riding and therapy, chickens, rabbits, exotic llamas, and our own kid friendly mini-donkey. These animals make the ranch complete, they provide families the experience of being on a working ranch and meeting our beautiful animals rarely found in any other ranch in the United States. The mission of The C4 Foundation is to contribute to the mental and physical health and well-being of active duty US Navy SEALs and their family members to preserve family unity. Families will learn about animal welfare, ranch practices, and gain amazing experiences from their companionship.
US Navy SEAL Quick Facts
John F. Kennedy created the Navy Sea/Air/Land (“SEAL”) teams in 1962 as successors to the 1946-1961 Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (“UDT”) “Frogmen.”
There are approximately 2,500 active duty Navy SEAL operators consisting of West Coast SEALs (Teams 1, 3, 5, 7), East Coast SEALs (Teams 2, 4, 8, 10) and Navy Special Warfare Development Group (SEAL Team 6). SEAL Teams are deployed worldwide to cover specific geographical regions.
All SEALs are “born” in Coronado, California after they pass the “BUD/ S” (Basic Underwater Demolition SEALs) course. The birth of a SEAL takes approximately one year in two phases – the 21-week “BUD/S course followed by the 28-week SQT (SEAL Qualification Training program). Three to five BUD/S classes pass through in a calendar year. Each BUD/S class begins with approximately 170 men and finishes with approximately 30 men.
By the time a young man finishes BUD/S and SQT, he has run 1,760 miles and swam 128 miles. This is the equivalent of swimming from Cuba to the southern tip of Florida and then running from Florida to New York City.
The “average” SEAL trains out of state, away from their families, 250 days per year to prepare for an overseas deployment of 6-12 months. SEALs cannot divulge the name of the country to which they are deployed before or during their deployment. At any point in time, Navy SEALs can be present in as many as 120 countries around the world—both at the request of the host country and at times without the knowledge of the host country.
While the Navy SEAL operator is training out of state and deployed to a foreign country for one to two years cumulatively with little ability to maintain contact with home, the SEAL spouse is challenged with the daily rigors of finances, raising children and the upkeep of a home, often times while maintaining a career. All of this is done while worrying about the safety of her husband.