Charles was home on December 7, 1941. On that Sunday his life and millions of other Americans lives were forever changed.
He joined the Army Air Corps on October 28, 1942 at the age of 19. After boot camp, he was assigned to the 13th Air Force in the South Pacific.
Charles soon found himself on the island of New Guinea. The US Army under General MacArthur were fighting the Japanese who had built several airfields on that island as well as surrounding smaller islands.
Charles’s job while assigned to the 868th Heavy Bomb Group at Noomfour New Guinea was that of prop specialist and aircraft mechanic flight line supervisor. With all those responsibilities he also found time to cook at the base.
His most memorable experience was hearing Japanese bombers flying over his tent at night on bombing runs. One time in particular the plane was so low that he heard the bomb bay doors open and then heard the bombs being dropped on the base!
Charles ended up making a career out of the Air Force retiring in 1964. Later in his career he was part of rocket research at Edwards Air Force base in California.
He received many awards including the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with six bronze service stars, Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with four bronze oak leaf clusters, and many more.
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