High School yearbook, 1960
Remember...
Charles Andrew Baldwin II
1942-1970
"Heroism doesn't always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history."
Mary Roach
High School yearbook, 1960 |
Remember...Charles Andrew Baldwin II
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Charles Andrew Baldwin II was born on June 19, 1942, and raised in Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia. His parents were Charles Andrew Baldwin (1919-1987) and Mary Maxine Wears Baldwin (1924-1997). He attended Charleston High School and graduated in the class of 1960. Charles had two brothers and one sister. His brothers were Stephen Lewis Baldwin and Timothy Lynn Baldwin, and his sister was Mary Kathryn Baldwin Werner. After he graduated from Charleston High School, he went on to attend West Virginia University through the Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program, receiving an ROTC commission. Baldwin graduated in the class of 1964, majoring in business administration. Near the end of his senior year at WVU, he married Frances Ann Harper on March 6, 1964, in Monongalia County, West Virginia.
During the late 1940s and 1950s, the economy was booming, and people were happy as World War II had just ended. Suburban families were generally the "nuclear family." ("United States in the 1950s," Wikipedia, accessed 10 February 2022, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_in_the_1950s.)
There is not much information on Charles Baldwin's early life; however, life in the U.S. at the time was good. West Virginia's population was at an all-time high with just over two million citizens. ("A Look at West Virginia's Population by Decade, 1950-2000: Brief No. 8," WV Department of Health and Human Services, Health Statistics Center, accessed 10 February 2022, http://www.wvdhhr.org/bph/hsc/statserv/viewer.asp?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wvdhhr.org%2Fbph%2Fhsc%2Fpubs%2Fbriefs%2F008%2Fdefault.htm&Source=pub.asp&DocID=49.)
After graduating from college and receiving a commission as a second lieutenant in the active duty Air Force, Charles Baldwin's service number was FR 3163122. He attended flight school and graduated on June 21, 1968. He was then assigned to the 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. At the time, the 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron was stationed at Bitburg Air Base, in Bitburg, Germany.
The 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron was constituted on December 22, 1939. The squadron was deployed to Puerto Rico in 1940. Following the Pearl Harbor attacks, the squadron conducted anti-submarine warfare against German U-boats. In 1944, the 23rd deployed to England, at RAF Kingsnorth. They helped in the D-Day invasions and in the Battle of the Bulge. After World War II, the 23rd went to Furstenfeldbruck Air Base, Germany. In 1952, the 23rd went to Bitburg Air Base. They were the first squadron to fly the F-86 Sabre in Europe, and they were the first to fly the F-100 Super Sabre in Europe and the F-105 Thunderchief, as well as the F-4 Phantom II. Charles A. Baldwin was a pilot of an F-4 Phantom II aircraft. ("23rd Fighter Squadron," Wikipedia, accessed 10 February 2022, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/23rd_Fighter_Squadron.)
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it first entered service with the Navy in 1961 before it was adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, and by the mid-1960s, it had become a major part of their air arms. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981 with a total of 5,195 aircraft built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft in history and cementing its position as an iconic combat aircraft of the Cold War. ("McDonnell Douglas f-4 Phantom II," Wikipedia, accessed 10 February 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II.)
On August 5, 1970, Captain Charles Baldwin was conducting a routine training mission, when his F-4 Phantom II crashed. He crashed on a gunnery range 25 miles away from Zaragoza Air Base, Spain. Both the pilot, Captain Charles Baldwin, and the RIO (Radio Intercept Officer), Captain Stephen N. Smith, died on impact. Captain Baldwin's remains were recovered and sent back to the United States. ("List of Accidents and Incidents Involving Military Aircraft [1970-1974]," Wikipedia, accessed 10 February 2022, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_%281970%E2%80%931974%29.)
| Captain Baldwin's memorial service was held at Marlinton Methodist Church with the Rev. Maynard Crawford presiding over the service. Captain Baldwin was buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Marlinton, Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Captain Baldwin will always be remembered for his patriotism and dedication to our country as he is memorialized at the West Virginia Veterans Memorial located in Charleston, West Virginia. |  |
Article prepared by Jayden Shepherd and John Leef, George Washington High School JROTC
February 2022
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.