For his fathers’ birthday on 24 May 1944 Chuckie sent this photo of himself to his family back home in Pennsylvania.
Charles Melvin Wilson Chuckle’s father in 1944
In his Army uniform, his handwritten note reads:
“A salute to a ‘real pal’ on his birthday.”
Everyone always called him Chuckie. It’s likely he chose to sign formally as “Charles” to show respect for his 54 year old father who was from the Deep South where manners were taught and expected.
One month later Chuckie was killed when his B-24 clipped the side of a small hill inside enemy lines in France and crashed landed while on a top secret mission to drop supplies and ammunition to the French resistance in advance of D-Day. These missions were credited with shortening the war.
Chuckie as a toddler sitting in frontwith his older brother behindChuckie in adolecenceColorized photo of Chuckle in uniform
There are very few photographs of US Army Staff Sergeant Charles “Chuckie” Melvin Wilson, 36th Bomb Squad, 801st Bomb Group. He was killed in action on 28 April 1944 along with four other American aviators when his B-24 ‘Liberator’ Bomber crashed in the French village of Saint-Cyr-de-Valorges on a secret mission to supply the French resistance in advance of D-Day. Just ten days before he was killed, his brother and sister-in-law had a baby girl, his first niece, and the mother of Unforgotten Glory’s author. She recently passed away; found among her possessions were these new, previously unseen photos of Chuckle.
May these images evoke a small comfort to know that once we are gone, we will not be erased from the memories of others.
This weekend we visited the World War II Memorial in Washington DC that honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 like US Army Staff Sergeant Charles “Chuckie” Melvin Wilson, 36thBomb Squad, 801stBomb Group who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. Stone architecture, bronze sculptures, and a glorious fountain combine to recognize the many ways Americans served in the fight to end tyranny and restore freedom around the globe.
The memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people and is divided into two sides (north and south) that represent the Atlantic and Pacific fronts. They incorporate bronze baldachins, bronze columns bearing American eagles, World War II victory medals, and inscriptions noting the victories in the European and Pacific theatres of operations.
Chuck serviced in the Atlantic
Especially moving to see were 56 triumphal columns surrounding the fountain that list U.S. states, commonwealths, and territories that sent men and women to serve under the U.S. flag during WWII. Chuckie was from Pennsylvania. Each column has two wreaths, one inside and one outside. One wreath consists of oak leaves, representing industrial might. The other consists of wheat, representing the agricultural might of the United States.
Chuckie’s home state
D-Day: A Turning Point in World War II – took years organize
As dawn broke on the French coast at Normandy on 6 June 6 1944, the long-awaited invasion of northwest Europe was, by all accounts, an awe-inspiring sight—the largest amphibious invasion force in history massed in the waters of the English Channel. The giant invasion had taken years to organize, in part because of the need to build up adequate forces in Britain. In the months leading up to the invasion, millions of tons of supplies, ships, planes and weapons were transported across the Atlantic Ocean to Britain in advance of the operation. Hundreds of thousands of troops were assembled in southern England and intensively trained for the complicated amphibious action against Normandy.
Chuckie arrived in Britain five months before in January 1944 with the U.S. Army Air Forces joining the Carpetbaggers who flew hundreds of flights to provide aerial supply of weapons and other matériel to resistance fighters behind enemy lines in France, Italy and the Low Countries in advance of D-Day. Two months before D-Day, Chuckie paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom when his plane crash landed while on a Top Secret night mission in France to supply the French resistance armies for D-Day.
A mighty endeavor – the hour of great sacrifice
On the night of 6 June 1944, President Roosevelt went on national radio to address the nation for the first time about the Normandy invasion. His speech took the form of a prayer. Chuckie’s parents would have listened with false hope from incorrect information that their their son was ‘over there’ officially classified as Missing in Action. The U.S . Army Air Force had kept from them the truth that one month before his commanding officer had confirmation that Chuckie was Killed In Action. Roosevelt’s radio address that night included a few brief words of comfort to the many American families whose worst fears would come true. Their loved ones – and Chuckie – would not return home alive.
“Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas — whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them–help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
The D-Day invasion opened up the long-awaited Second Front against Hitler. The United States and its allies had launched the greatest amphibious invasion in history on the shores of France. Over 150,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen stormed the beaches of Normandy beginning a campaign that would end with the unconditional surrender of Germany in May 1945. In August, a second Allied invasion force landed on France’s southern coast. Soon Paris was liberated, and by the fall, Allied armies were poised to cross the German border.
The Carpetbagger’s long held secret contribution to paralyzing German infrastructure has now gained widespread recognition for its significant role in helping to defeat the enemy. Dwight D Eisenhower credited the Carpetbaggers and Free French enormous contribution – “Without their assistance, the liberation of France and the defeat of the enemy would have consumed much longer time and meant greater losses to ourselves.“
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
The Memorial it sits on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. A series of bas-relief sculpture panels created by sculptor Ray Kaskey is set into the balustrades of the north and south ceremonial entrance walls.
Created by sculptor Ray Kaskey
The Freedom Wall – Gold stars mark the price of Freedom
The Freedom Wall, an arched wall containing thousands of gold stars, is where the nation “mark the price of Freedom” and honor the 416,800 American servicemen like Chuckie who died in uniform during WWII. Unlike the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, there are no names listed at the WWII Memorial. Instead, those men killed in action are honored with the gold stars. The gold stars come from a military tradition in the USA where military families hang small flags in the windows of their homes to note that a family member was serving in uniform. If that member paid the ultimate sacrifice, then the blue star would be replaced with a gold star.
The Freedom Wall
Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the WWII Memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people to the common defense of the nation and to the broader causes of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the world. It will inspire future generations of Americans, deepening their appreciation of what the World War II generation accomplished in securing freedom and democracy. Above all, the Memorial stands as an important symbol of American national unity, a timeless reminder of the moral strength and awesome power that can flow when a free people are at once united and bonded together in a common and just cause.
President Harry S. Truman
For more information, see the special online exhibit, D-Day and the Normandy Invasion, hosted by the National Archives and Google Cultural Institute.
US Army Staff Sergeant Charles “Chuckie” Melvin Wilson, 36thBomb Squad, 801stBomb Group, was killed in action on 28 April 1944 along with four other American aviators when his B-24 ‘Liberator’ Bomber crashed in the French village of Saint-Cyr-de-Valorges. He is permanently interred in the military war grave cemetery Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial located in Draguignan, France.
US Army Staff Sergeant Charles “Chuckie” Melvin Wilson Born: January 19, 1922 – Died: April 28, 1944
These few details are all his family had about the fate of their son, their brother, their nephew, their cousin or the uncle they never knew. The ‘good guys won’; Chuckie was ‘killed in action’ and he’s ‘buried over there’ were the only memories spoken of or shared as the years went on. Little information was known. No one from his family had visited his grave. They never had passports, knew anyone French or traveled abroad.
The journey begins.
I had always been curious to know more about Chuckie, other family members too. Surely there was more to know about Chuckie now available on the internet? The lives of those in the Allied Forces who fought and died in WWII are recorded in hundreds of thousands of films, photographs, letters and history books. Monuments recognize the victory they achieved to restore freedom and end tyranny around the globe. These offer us a lasting record of their hopes, dreams, talents and ambitions, the countless lives they impacted, and the loved ones they left behind. But that record is incomplete and quickly disappearing for many.
One of those is US Army Staff Sergeant Charles “Chuckie” M. Wilson. When his mother (my great grandmother) died in the late 1970s, my family found a shoe box with a purple heart, a few undated photographs and just six official letters she received from the War Department over a 15 year period from the date of his death. These were all the memories that remained of Chuckie.
As the world commemorates the 75thanniversary of D-DAY this year, I felt a new sense of urgency and family duty to create a more complete digital record of Chuckie’s life so that his memory and contribution to freedom will not be forgotten. With only a basic timeline of key events known from those six letters, I dove into the internet to see what more I could find. The internet has made it possible for anyone with a computer and curiosity to search hundreds of thousands of websites, indexed data bases and social media to uncover a wealth of facts, images and uncover the truth of personal human stories.
The ultimate sacrifice, the unforgotten glory of their deeds.
What quickly emerged in my searches is a fascinating and remarkable story of heroism and bravery of a 22 year old man who enlisted in the Army to do his part in the fight for freedom for people in countries oceans away from his small town in Western Pennsylvania who soon found himself in England as part of the build up to the Allied invasion in France, details of his top secret air mission on that fateful day in advance of D-Day to supply the French resistance behind enemy lines, images of Chuckie and his fellow airman with their-24 ‘Liberator’ Bomber, a first-hand account of human tragedy as he and four fellow American airmen gave the ultimate sacrifice of their life for the liberation of France and the restoration of freedom, and a previously unknown monument to them erected with gratitude by the French villagers on the spot where they found his body under the plane wreckage after their fiery crash in Saint-Cyr-de-Valorges, France and the compassion they showed him as they quickly buried him in gratitude in a temporary grave so that his remains would be safe and could be returned with honor and dignity.
It is my hope that by sharing some history, personal family stories and facts of Chuckie and his mission on this blog over the coming months, readers will gain an interesting snapshot into an important period in history. Together we honor those like Chuckie who fought and died for freedom. In late May, I will be the first family member to visit Chuckie’s grave in France and I will share that experience here too. When I write my last post on this blog in a few months time there will finally be a more complete record of the life of Charles M. Wilson so that future generations can remember him, better understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.
Thank you for your interest.
For all of us, may it evoke a small comfort to know that once we are gone, we will not be erased from the memories of others.
Tim B.
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The war and its aftermath changed many American families forever. More than 292,000 American servicemen were killed in action in WWII. Families on the home front were profoundly affected. Another gruesome statistic in the arithmetic of war is the number of soldiers missing in action, lost at sea, or interred as unknowns. To this day, the remains of over 70,000 American G.I.s from World War II have never been officially recovered or identified. For the families of these veterans, the war, in some ways, is not over.
For Chuckie’s immediately family, life went on without him but was never the same. The pain of their loss was ever present for the rest of their days. In the 1950s, Chuckie’s sister Mary married a military man living the majority of her adult life where military duty called. They had three children – Donna, Mike and Link.
Chuckies parents in the 1950s
Chuckie’s mother Evie and sister Mary
Chuckie’s brother Jack and his wife Geri remained near his parents in Beaver, Pennsylvania for the rest of their marriage in the 1950s and early 60s raising their only child, a daughter Lynn. She’s was the baby in the V-MAIL photo of his niece that Chuckie likely never saw.
Brother Jack in the 50s
Brother Jack and Sister-in law Geri
Niece Lynn Kay in the 50s
Chuckie’s niece marries in 1963
Chuckie’s mother with her first great grandson, the author of this blog
Niece Lynn in the 60s
Chuckie’s parents had been married 47 years in 1964 at the time this photo was taken, twenty years after Chuckie was killed in action. His father “J.B.” was nearly deaf; he’s seen wearing hearing aids of the time. Notice the mirror reflection of their friends at the top of the wall sharing the joy of this moment too. It’s a wonderful story photo capturing a human moment of the author of Unforgotten Glory‘s great-grandparents. Enormous affection between them remains; having survived a long, difficult life journey together on a road well travelled yet still possessing an abiding love.
Chuckie’s parents in 1963.
Jack “J.B.” – Chuckie’s father, passed away on 15 June 1964 in Beaver, Pennsylvania at the age of 74 year old. In 1966, Chuckie’s brother became a grandfather for a second time with this birth of another boy making Evie a great grandmother for the second time.
Chuckie’s mother Evie, his sister-in-law Geri and now two great nephews in 1968
Evie and Lynn in 1977
Chuckie’s brother Jack divorced and remarried. In the 1970s, family time was spent with him in Ohio each summer on his boat, at Kings Island amusement park, the movies and fun restaurants.
Chuckie’s mother in the late 1970s
Evie – Chuckie’s mother moved to Virginia in the last years of her life and was well cared for by her daughter Mary. Thankfully, both of Evie’s remaining children would outlive her; she would never again have to suffer the pain of losing a child during her lifetime. She died peacefully on 30 March 1977 at the age of 82.
Chuckie’s brother Jack and wife Jean in the 1980s
Jack – Chuckie’s brother, lived the last two decades of his life happily with his wife Jean.
He died on 10 May 1991 at the age of 71.
Mary- Chuckie’s sister, returned in the 1980s to the land of the Wilson family roots – deep in the American South – following her husband’s retirement from military service. She passed away on 24 Feb 1998 Shreveport, Louisiana at the age of 73 years old.
Chuckie’s family was always proud of him, what he did for his country and the ultimate sacrifice made for freedom. Over the years since his death, each drew strength and comfort from the knowledge that he’d played a small part in protecting the freedom of others and winning the war.
Together, we honor those like Chuckie who fought and died for freedom. Connecting with a loved one’s WWII experience becomes tougher with each passing day—as conversations, old documents, and photos fade. Thanks everyone for joining in commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-DAY by following this storytelling of the life of US Army Staff Sergeant Charles “Chuckie” Melvin Wilson and his fellow Operation Carpetbagger crew of the 36thBomb Squad, 801st Bomb Group so that their contribution to freedom will not be forgotten.
As the world commemorates the 75thanniversary of D-DAY this year, I felt a new sense of urgency and family duty to visit Chuckie’s grave to honor his memory and contribution to freedom. No one from our family had ever visited his grave. They never had passports, didn’t know anyone French and never traveled abroad. On a bright sunny Spring day in May, I journeyed to a beautiful cemetery nestled in the heart of a small village, Draguignan, in Southern France and visited Chuckie’s grave.
US Army Staff Sergeant Charles “Chuckie” Melvin Wilson, 36thBomb Squad, 801stBomb Group, was killed in action on 28 April 1944 along with four other American aviators when his B-24 ‘Liberator’ Bomber crashed in the French village of Saint-Cyr-de-Valorges on a secret mission to supply the French resistance in advance of D-Day. He is permanently interred in the military war grave cemetery Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial located in Draguignan, France. The site was selected because of its historic location along the route of the U.S. Seventh Army’s drive up the Rhone Valley.
When I arrived the cemetery, staff members we at the gate to greet me. They were so warm and friendly and said how honored they always are when family members visit especially for the first time. The didn’t have any records or photographs of Chuckie on file so were particularly pleased I had made the trip and compiled this blog. It has helped them complete his story and will be included in ongoing educational programs and future memorial commemorative ceremonies. That alone made it all worth it.
For what is remembered lives.
I was given a white lily and taken to the row where Chuckie is laid to rest. Staff told me to walk on up ahead and I would soon came upon his headstone. They gave me a few moments alone to walk the few paces when I soon found him.. I didn’t know what to expect or how I would feel. What began casually a few months before as a simple desk research project to learn about a family member I didn’t know had now become an involved writing project published and shared with thousands of followers around the world on this blog and our Facebook page. Now being at the final resting place of all these young men and Chuckie that day I was filled with emotion that was sadness, gratitude – a but hugely inspired by the meaning of this unexpected journey.
Chuckie’s great nephew rubs sand from Normandy beach on the headstone which makes the letters more readable
Since neither Chuckie’s parents nor his siblings were ever able in their lifetime to visit his gravesite to say a final goodbye, I brought along a few items that his mother and brother had personally touched. A cotton flannel blanket of his mother Evie was placed over his grave. It was likely in her possession from the 1920s when the family lived at her ancestral home deep in south among the cotton fields of Mississippi. The wedding ring of Chuckie’s brother JB (and the father of this author’s mother) was placed on top of the cross headstone. It was the only personal item I had that he’d touched so seemed appropriate and meant to be.
A blanket of Chuckie’s mother Evie placed over her son’s final place of rest; a gold ring of his brother is placed on the topside of the cross.
I said a silent prayer of gratitude for his service and the ability to symbolically bring Chuckie the warmth of one last hug from his mother that he’d waited 75 years for.
The ultimate sacrifice, the unforgotten glory of their deeds.
The cemetery staff and a few other visitors joined me and gathered around Chuckie’s grave for a brief ceremony. First a moment of silence, then I shared the story of Chuckie, his family and what we came to learn about his brave service. We all reflected upon all the brave young men of the Allied Forces who fought and died in WWII and the glory of their deeds that shall not be forgotten.
Chuckie,s great nephew is joined by the cemetery Superintendent. The State of a Pennsylvania flag flies as more than 100 men buried there are from Pennsylvania like Chuckie. And 80% buried there were just 20 years old when they died.
Together, we honor all those like Chuckie who fought and died for freedom. #RIP.
Forty two years after their mission, on 19 September 1987, fifty ex Carpetbaggers returned to Harrington to dedicate a memorial to Chuckie and the other Carpetbagger US Army Air Forces lost during WWII. The memorial is placed in a position overlooking the airfield where the B-24s carried out one of its most effective contributions to the Allied victory.
Chuckie’s family never knew that he was a Carpetbagger, that RAF Harrington was his base, or that this memorial to him existed until earlier this year when a family member and author of this blog began researching facts about about his life and contribution to Freedom. The experience and techniques perfected during Carpetbagger operations were used as the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) continued to develop into a worldwide organization. For this reason many records of the 801st / 492nd Bomb Group and the US Army Airmen like Chuckie that Carpetbaggers remained secret or restricted until the 1980s.
A memorial to the Carpetbaggers overlooking the airfield at Harrington RAF The memorial is located on site of Dispersal at side of the Harrington to Lamport Road
The Carpetbagger Aviation Museum was formed in 1993 for the 50th Anniversary reunion of the USAAF’s 801st / 492nd Bomb Group (The Carpetbaggers) at Harrington. It is housed in the Group Operations Building on the Administration Site of the former Station 179 airfield at Harrington, Northamptonshire, England. The Museum is administered by members of the Harrington Aviation Museum Society, a Registered Charity No 1061997
The author of Unforgotten Glory plans to visit Harrington RAF and The Carpetbagger Museum to pay respects at the last place Chuckie and his fellow comrades walked the earth as they prepared and then took off 27 April 1944 into the dark night sky.
Chuckie is is the only member of the 36th Bombardment Squadron and lone Carpetbagger buried at Rhone American Cemetery in the city of Draguignan which is located in Southern France. The squadron conducted special operations and electronic warfare missions over Europe from 1943 until the end of the war. By the end of World War II, several hundred temporary burial grounds had been established by the U.S. Army on battlefields around the world. In 1947, 14 sites overseas were selected to become permanent cemeteries by the Secretary of the Army and ABMC and included Rhone American Cemetery. Chuckie was interred there on 21 December 1948.
Draguignan, is the final resting place for 860 American war dead, most of whom lost their lives in the liberation of southern France in August 1944. Their headstones are arranged in straight lines, divided into four plots, grouped about an oval pool. At each end of the cemetery is a secluded garden and fountain surrounded by the characteristic cypresses, olive trees, and oleanders of southern France.
The American Battle Monuments Commission, established by Congress in 1923, is an agency of the executive branch of the federal government. ABMC—guardian of America’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and memorials—honors the service, achievements and sacrifice of U.S. Armed Forces. Each grave site in the overseas American World War I and II cemeteries is marked by a headstone of pristine white marble.
The cemetery grounds are not American territory. However, use of the land is granted to the United States in perpetuity, free of any taxes, fees or any other charges. This is done through a treaty between the United States and France. Burial in ABMC cemeteries is limited by the agreements with host countries to members of the U.S. armed forces who died overseas during the wars.
On the hillside overlooking the cemetery stands the magnificent chapel with its beautiful, decorative mosaic. On the retaining wall of the terrace are inscribed the names of 294 of the missing.
The cemetery chapelLooking out into the cemetery from the beautiful secluded garden and fountain The beautiful, decorative mosaic inside the chapel
On the façade of the chapel is the sculpture of the Angel of Peace watching over the graves. Beneath the sculpture is the engraving, “Those who lie here died that future generations might live in peace.”
Between the chapel and the burial area, the great bronze relief map recalls the military operations in the region.
Bronze relief map recalls the military operations in the region.
Unlike the national cemeteries administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, all permanent American military cemeteries on foreign soil are “closed” except for the remains of servicemen and women lost during World War I and World War II that may be found on the battlefields or recently identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
The 2018 Memorial Day Ceremony at Rhone American Cemetery took place outside the memorial building. Image courtesy of Michel Delannoy.
World War II was the deadliest military conflict in history. An estimated total of 70–85 million people perished, which was about 3% of the 1940 world population (est. 2.3 billion). Chuckie was one of the 52,173 U.S. Army Air Force killed in action. On 14 June 1950 an official Statement of Death was furnished by the Department of the Army to the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Court House, Beaver, Pennsylvania noting Charles M. Wilson was killed in action on 28 April 1944 in the line of duty in France.
Battle deaths of US citizens (including POWs who died in captivity, but does not include those who died of disease and accidents) were 292,131: Army 234,874 (including Army Air Forces 52,173); Navy 36,950; Marine Corps 19,733; and Coast Guard 574. Of those killed, 185,924 deaths occurred in the European/Atlantic theater of operations and 106,207 deaths occurred in Asia/Pacific theater of operations. Source: STATISTICAL AND ACCOUNTING BRANCH OFFICE OF THE ADJUTANT GENERAL (June 1, 1953).
The final resting place of Charles M. Wilson at Rhone American Cemetery in France
Just before Christmas in 1948 Chuckie’s parents received a letter confirming the final interment of their son Staff Sergeant Charles. M. Wilson per their expressed wishes. Like many who lost loved ones in WWII, the Wilson family chose to honor him by leaving his remains in the region near where he died fighting for what he believed and interred side by side with comrades who also gave their lives for their country rather than having his remains returned to the United States.
The record Chuckie’s father J.B Wilson authorized for Chuckie’s permanent internment in France
At military cemeteries, the decedent’s full name, rank, date of death, unit, and state of entry into military service are inscribed on the grave marker. The individual’s service number is included on white marble headstones at the World War II cemeteries.
The interment of remains of World War I and World War II war dead at permanent overseas American military cemeteries was made by the American Graves Registration Service, Quartermaster General of the War Department. When the interment program was completed the cemeteries were turned over to American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) for maintenance and administration.
The interments of World War I and World War II remains at ABMC cemeteries are permanent. It is no longer possible to repatriate the remains of those interred at these American military cemeteries. A provision of the law terminated authority to make further disposition of remains after December 31, 1951, when the decision of the next of kin became final. The program of final disposition of war dead established the moral and legal obligation of the U.S. government to honor the expressed wishes of the next of kin authorized to make the decision regarding the permanent interment of their loved one’s remains.
“Dear Mr. Wilson:
This letter is to inform you that the remains of your loved one have been permanently interred, as recorded above, side by side with comrades who also gave their lives for their country. Customary military funeral services were conducted over the grave at the time of burial.
After the Department of the Army has completed all final interments, the cemetery will be transferred, as authorized by the Congress, to the care and supervision of the American Battle Monuments Commission. The commission also will have the responsibility for permanent construction and beautification of the cemetery, including erection of the permanent headstone. The headstone will be inscribed with the name exactly as recorded above, the rank or rating where appropriate, organization, State, and date of death. Any inquiries relative to the type of headstone or the spelling of the name to be inscribed thereon should be addressed to the American Battle Monuments Commission. . . “
While interment activities are in progress, the cemetery will not be open to visitors. However, upon completion thereof, due notice will be carried by the press.
You may rest assured that this final internment was conducted with fitting dignity and solemnity and that the grave-side will be carefully and conscientiously maintained in perpetuity by the United States Government.”
Letter to Chuckie’s parents from Thomas B Larkin, Major General, The Quartermaster General, United States War Department
Chuckie is buried at RHONE AMERICAN CEMETERY in the city of Draguignan which is located in Southern France. More on his final resting place and the recent visit by this author coming up in a future post.
Unforgotten Glory 