AWOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING

Major Charles "Bazooka Charlie" Carpenter and his gun-toting L-4 Cub

- JAMES P. BUSHA

Before America's entry into World War II, Charles Carpenter was a U.S. History teacher at a high school in Moline, Illinois and a 2nd Lt. in the Army Reserve. That all changed on December 7, 1941. By early 1942, Carpenter entered the U.S. Army and eventually earned his Liaison wings in the likes of Aeronca L-3 Defenders, Piper L-4 Cubs, and Stinson L-5 Sentinels.

Earning his "L" wings

Fort Sill, Oklahoma was selected as the post used for operational training of pilots, mechanics, and observers in "the tactical employment of organic air observation in Field Artillery units." By June of 1942, the pilot course was designed to be five to seven weeks long depending on student experience levels. Its primary focus was to train the students in the extremes of the limits of the airplane and flight envelopes they would face.