Charles Taylor was born in December 1923 in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Taylor recalls growing up during the Great Depression. His three uncles came to live with his family because people were having a hard time. Taylor worked on a paper route to make extra money. He also sold produce from a horse drawn wagon. At 17, and recent graduate of high school, Taylor and his family moved to Washington D.C. where they ran a boarding house. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], he decided to enlist in the Navy in 1941. He chose the Navy because his father was a Navy veteran in World War 1. Taylor went into the V-1 Program [Annotator’s Note: V-1 US Navy College Training Program] and became a supply officer. After being assigned to USS Absecon (AVP-23), he had to travel to multiple cities to find the location of the ship. He finally located it in Port Everglades [Annotator's Note: Fort Lauderdale, Florida].

Charles Taylor was assigned to the USS Absecon (AVP-23) as the catapult officer, even though he had no training in this position. There was an event where something went wrong with the firing of the catapult and two gunners ended up with third degree burns. Taylor was trained to use sound gear to listen for German submarines. After he completed training, Taylor became the sound officer and the USS Absecon spent time in the Atlantic dealing with submarine warfare. After his brother was killed during active duty, Taylor was reassigned stateside. He served as a procurement officer for the people who were building the instrumentation of the testing of the atomic bomb. He was separated from service in 1946 and entered the reserves and served for another nine years.

Charles Taylor was assigned to the USS Absecon (AVP-23) as the catapult officer. His job was to make sure the plane was working properly, and the equipment was ready to launch. Taylor became the sound officer and the USS Absecon spent time in the Atlantic dealing with submarine warfare. Taylor recalled when his ship ran into a hurricane and was about to go into a collision course, and the Captain was a drunk and did not want to change course. They finally got an approval and changed course to save the ship. Taylor recalled when he enlisted into the Navy, his intentions was to avenge the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. After his brother was killed on active duty, Taylor was reassigned stateside. He served as a procurement officer for the people who were building the instrumentation of the testing of the atomic bomb. Taylor recalled that the work being done in the building was very important because of all the security. There was an incident where reporters talked their way into the building and there was a story on the front page of the Washington Post the next day.

[Annotator's Note: After his brother was killed on active duty, Charles Taylor was transferred off of the USS Absecon (AVP-23) to a stateside posting where he served as a procurement officer for the people who were building the instrumentation for the testing the atomic bomb.] Charles Taylor was pleased to be involved with the process. He believed it was necessary to drop the atomic bombs on Japan to save more lives. He was separated from service in 1946 then joined the reserves and served for another nine years. Taylor used the G.I. Bill to get his degree in Accounting and Business Administration, and then got a degree in law. He found a career in the Secret Service. Charles Taylor served with the Secret Service for over 25 years, from President Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States] to President Reagan [Annotator's Note: Ronald Wilson Reagan; 40th President of the United States]. Taylor was involved in securing President John F. Kennedy's [Annotator's Note: John Fitzgerald Kennedy; 35th President of the United States] body after his assassination in Dallas [Annotator's Note: Dallas, Texas] and was part of the Warren Commission with the investigation. Taylor also put on the investigation committee after the attempted assassination of President Truman by Puerto Rican Nationalists.

After serving in World War 2 in the Navy, Charles Taylor served with the Secret Service for over 25 years, from President Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States] to President Reagan [Annotator's Note: Ronald Wilson Reagan; 40th President of the United States]. His favorite president to work with was President Harry Truman, while he did not care for Lydon B. Johnson [Annotator's Note: Lyndon Baines Johnson; 36th President of the United States] because he was difficult to work for. [Annotator's Note: An ice machine goes off in the background of the interview at 1:04:25.000.] Taylor worked in intelligence, criminal investigations, and counterfeit investigations during his time in the Secret Service. When Winston Churchill [Annotator's Note: Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill; Prime Minister, United Kingdom, 1940 to 1945] came to visit the White House on one occasion, he asked Taylor to have a drink with him because he was lonely.

Charles Taylor's most memorable experience of World War 2 was when he was able to take out a German submarine. He saw the debris come up to surface. He fought because he was incensed about what happen at Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. World War 2 changed Taylor's life because it gave him more stability and gave more value to his life. Taylor thinks Americans are forgetting the history of World War 2 and are selfish because they do not make the same sacrifices as the Americans during the war. He believes it is important to have institutions like The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana]. Taylor believes that the government does not give enough respect for the military anymore. He commented on when he was responsible for securing John F. Kennedy [Annotator's Note: John Fitzgerald Kennedy; 35th President of the United States] and the limo after the assassination and being part of the Warren Commission during the investigation.

Charles Taylor was a secret serviceman after World War 2. He married in 1954 to his first wife and remarried after her death. Taylor attended school to advanced President Ronald Reagan's [Annotator's Note: Ronald Wilson Reagan; 40th President of the United States] campaign. Taylor thought Reagan was such a great storyteller and loved listening to him. He also enjoyed serving for President Harry S. Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States], and President Dwight Eisenhower [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force; 34th President of the United States].