Charles Fair was born and raised in Decatur, Ill. Shortly after Pearl Harbor Charley volunteered to go into the Army and was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, for basic training, ending up as a member of a tank crew. Charley's outfit saw action in North Africa as part of Gen. Patton's army, until his tank was destroyed. After recuperating from his injuries, Charley was reassigned to a small Signal Intelligence and Monitoring (SIAM) detachment, which traveled to Sicily, Italy and France. While in that area Charley was involved in the Battle of the Bulge; using a replacement tank he and a makeshift crew managed to break through the encircling enemy lines. After another temporary reassignment Charley was happily sent home and discharged from the military as the war drew to a close.