Charles Walker was born on a farm near Sumner, Georgia. When you live on a farm family, everybody works. He did not stay out of school to work, but all other times were spent working until sundown. He had two sisters. Walker left home at 17 and did not return. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Walker if he remembers hearing about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941.] They did not have electricity or radio and got their news from others. Everybody heard President Roosevelt's [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] talk [Annotator's Note: Infamy Speech; President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a Joint Session of the United States Congress on 8 December 1941] and the young men started getting drafted, including his cousins. He graduated high school in May 1944 and went to work in a grocery store. The store owner talked him into going to college at Berry College, near Rome, Georgia in the fall of 1944. He went to the Navy and enlisted in January 1945, mainly to avoid being drafted into the Army. He knew he would not sleep in the mud and would get hot meals if he joined the Navy.

[Annotator's Note: Charles Walker enlisted in the Navy in January 1945.] He went into the V-5 Program [Annotator's Note: V-5 US Navy Aviation Cadet Program, 1939 to 1943], but the war ended when they dropped the bomb [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. He got out of the program and went into boot camp. He was delighted the bombs were dropped. He was aboard ship and was due to get out October 1946. He went to Great Lakes [Annotator's Note: Naval Station Great Lakes in Great Lakes, Illinois] to boot camp February 1946. He then went to Long Beach [Annotator's Note: Long Beach, California] and boarded the repair ship USS Medusa (AR-1). He was what was called a deck ape, doing whatever needed to be done. The Medusa was in Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] and survived. Walker was only 18 and knew that education was the secret to success. World War 2 was a great benefit because he got the G.I. Bill. His parents were very poor. He got out of the service, got his degree, and went back in in 1949. He attended the University of Georgia [Annotator's Note: University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia] and worked. In December 1948, he graduated. He had stayed in the Reserves in 1946. He did his drills at Naval Station Atlanta [Annotator's Note: now DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, DeKalb County, Georgia]. He got engaged to be married. On 2 May 1949, he was discharged from the Naval Reserve and went into the Navy for flight training at Pensacola [Annotator's Note: Naval Air Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida]. He got his wings just after the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 1950 to 1953] started.

[Annotator's Note: Charles Walker received his pilot wings on 25 June 1950, just after the Korean War started.] In advanced training, he chose the Privateer [Annotator's Note: Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol bomber], the Navy variant of the B-24, in the summer of 1950. He finished training in September. He was sent to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California] then went to Whidbey Island, Washington [Annotator's Note: Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Washington] flying the P-2 Neptune [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-2 Neptune maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft]. They deployed to Alaska for six months. They then went to Japan to protect the Pacific Fleet. Their mission was anti-submarine warfare and mine-laying. They flew out of Atsugi [Annotator's Note: Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Yamato and Ayase, Japan]. Their missions were 12 hours long. The Navy expected him to stay for five years after flight training. He decided to stay in. After Korea, he went to Whidbey Island from the fall of 1950 to December 1953. He then went to Naval Air Station, Memphis, Tennessee [Annotator's Note: Naval Support Activity Mid-South, Millington, Tennessee] to attend Electronics Officer School. He operated flight trainers there after the school for two years. He then returned to school in Monterey, California. He then went directly aboard the USS Duxbury Bay (AVP-38) and went to the Arabian Sea, Kuwait, Bahrain and more. Walker was in country [Annotator's Note: term for "stationed at"] twice in the Vietnam War [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975]. Most of his flying was over water. Market Time [Annotator's Note: Operation Market Time, 1965 to 1970] was the operation he was on. They were trying to intercept trawlers that looked like fishing vessels. He personally never intercepted one. He was in Patrol Squadron 4 [Annotator's Note: Patrol Squadron 4 (VP-4)] flying the Neptune in 1965. In 1967, he was flying the P-3 [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft]. He flew out of Saigon [Annotator's Note: Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon, South Vietnam]. He was only there 1965 and 1967. The Fall of Saigon [Annotator's Note: capture of Saigon, South Vietnam by the People's Army of Vietnam, 30 April 1975] was sad. He had made friends with several Vietnamese officers and their families. He knew if caught, they would likely be beheaded, but his friends did get out and became good United States citizens.

[Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Charles Walker what his most memorable experience was.] While he was flying P-3s [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft] off of Vietnam, he got orders to go be a commanding officer on the USS Tallahatchie County (AVB-2), a converted LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank]. Two were built as steam-powered ships, the USS Talbot County (LST-1153) and the Tallahatchie County. It was converted so aviation equipment to go into the ship. In 1962 it went to the Mediterranean. It was home ported in Naples [Annotator's Note: Naples, Italy] and stayed in the Mediterranean the whole time. In 1967, a base was opened in Souda Bay, Crete [Annotator's Note: Souda Bay, Crete, Greece]. He got to take his family to Naples, and they went to Crete as well. His kids would love to relive that life. The USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was there. It was one of two nuclear-powered submarines that were lost. The other was the USS Thresher (SSN-593). The Scorpion had deployed, and the crew had not had liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. Walker's ship became a hotel ship for the crew who went into Naples for shore leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence from a ship for a short period of time]. He got the nicest letter from the submarine's captain after they left. The sub was lost at sea. The last contact they ever had was with Walker. Frank Slattery [Annotator's Note: US Navy Commander Francis Atwood Slattery] had become his friend by then. Walker met with his family in 1999 at a reunion. Walker received his letter from Slattery after the Scorpion was lost 1968. He was in Souda Bay when the USS Wasp (CV-18) was flying planes to Athens. One plane hit a mountaintop in Crete. The accident investigators lived aboard his ship while working.

Charles Walker was in the Mediterranean Sea and the Soviets [Annotator's Note: Soviet Navy] had a fleet of its own there. Whenever Walker would go to and from Crete [Annotator's Note: Crete, Greece], there would be a Soviet ship there. They were very courteous to each other. There are rules at sea, the greatest enemy for those at sea is King Neptune [Annotator's Note: Roman god of the sea]. All sailors are friends unless at declared war. He had the command for 14 months. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Walker about him seeing the evolution of the Navy and the military in general.] He never saw action in World War 2 and is reluctant to include himself in the group of men who fought. He saw the Navy change in aircraft capabilities, weapons, and technology. They were satisfied to be within miles of their targets and now they can come in within feet. He sees technology taking over and does not see the camaraderie and the friendships now. In 1984 [Annotator's Note: "Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel", science fiction by George Orwell, published 8 June 1949], someone was always watching, and he sees more and more of that. He belongs to the Association of Naval Aviation. The young guys come and listen but do not have much experience. The young pilots probably never see the target. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Walker his thoughts on the The National WWII Museum.] He thinks it is good and fascinating. The culmination of his 31 year career was as the commanding officer of the ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps] unit at JU [Annotator's Note: Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, Florida]. He was there from 1974 to 1977. It was rewarding to commission over 100 people into the Navy and Marines. He is friends with some of them still. He now mentors high school students in retirement. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Walker his opinion if country understands ww2.] If they are over 50 or 60, they do understand. The kids in high school do not have a lot of interest. When Walker was in high school, he was not interested in World War 1. He tries to make it [Annotator's Note: World War 1] interesting to them.