Charlie was born in New Burlington in 1919 and grew up in Xenia. Ohio

He attended Xenia Central High School, graduating in 1937.

He served in World War II from 1942 to 1944 as a fighter pilot in

     European African Midde /Eastern Theatre.

Pacific Air School: September 29, 1942, Class 43-B in Stockton, Texas

Luke Field: Phoenix, Arizona Air Corps Advanced Flying School – Graduated February 6, 1943

79^th Fighter Group United States Army Air Forces – June 1, 1943 – based in Sicily and Anzio  – Flew in 90 missions as part of the “Skeeters”.

Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and the Air Medal-Six Oak Leaf Cluster

Entered a hospital in Naples with Rheumatic Fever and was transferred to Coral Gables, Florida in May, 1944

Charlie sustained injury to his heart valves and returned to Xenia to work as an appliance salesman.  But his love of airplanes motivated him as he studied to become a design engineer and obtained a job as a design engineer at Convair in San Diego. He worked successfully as an engineer for 20 years. He was diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis and Congestive Heart Failure.  He underwent surgery at the Naval Hospital in San Diego for one of the earliest heart valve replacement surgeries.  The surgery was a success, but his heart was already enlarged by then and he died August 27, 1967.

Charlie was always very proud of his experience as a fighter pilot and the friendships he formed with fellow pilots but seldom talked about his service with the Army Air Corps. We have some photos of him with fellow pilots and all the planes he got to fly.