Danny Elliott
MSL 3020
Sergeant First Class Robert Roof
DUE: 22APR2016
Work Hard, Party Hard- The Life of Charles Wilson
Charles Nesbitt Wilson is a man most famously commended for his involvement in the Soviet Union’s withdrawal form Afghanistan in the 1980’s. He was a man that achieved political success early on in life and utilized this to shape the entire future of the Middle East, specifically in Afghanistan. Aside from his success in this area, Charlie was a man that suffered from severe alcohol abuse. He led an extravagant life filled with women and parties. He was noted as being the perfect example of the “Work hard, Party Hard” lifestyle.
Charlie Wilson was born and raised in small southern style town on Trinity, Texas in 1933. He was named after his father, Charles Wilson, who was an accountant for a local logging company. Charlie’s mother was named Wilmuth; she worked as a local florist in the community. Charlie attended the public school of Trinity High School until his graduation in 1951. From here he went to Sam Houston University located in Huntsville, Texas. He only attended the school for a semester while he awaited admissions to the United States Naval academy. He then attended the Naval Academy until his graduation in 1956. His college career here was by no means a smooth time. Charlie managed to achieve the second highest amount of demerits ever received by a cadet at the school. The only person in history to receive more demerits than him was his roommate. Wilson graduated eighth from the bottom of his class. Although he was so lowly ranked, he still successfully graduated with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering. Wilson served in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1960. During his time as an officer he served aboard a destroyer with the purpose of locating Soviet Submarines. He achieved the rank of lieutenant and then that of gunnery officer. His Naval career was nothing spectacular. He did his job well but did not leave any remarkable achievements behind. The officers above him noted that while he was excellent while at seas, he was a disaster at port. This is because Wilson had established a name for himself as a heavy “partier.” The most noteworthy thing about his military career is that it opened the gateway for his next job, a specialized intelligence unit at the Pentagon. His position at the Pentagon was considered top secret. It is now known that he was apart of a special unit tasked with gathering intelligence about the Soviet Unions Nuclear ability. It was while working in the Pentagon that he met President Kennedy. It was in 1960 that Wilson joined in aiding President Kennedy’s campaign. While assisting Kennedy, Wilson discovered his love of politics. During this time Wilson took a 30-day leave from the Navy. While on leave he returned to his home in Texas where he campaigned for the position of Texas State Representative under the Democratic ticket. It is important to note that it is against military regulation to hold political office while serving. The entirety of his 30 day leave was spent campaigning, and when he returned to the Navy his family continued the campaign for him. Wilson left the Navy at the end of 1960 and in 1961 he was elected to office. It is an impressive achievement that he gained the position at the young age of 27. For the next 12 years he served as Representative and supported many liberal ideas. These ideas included things like abortion, equal rights and Medicaid. His political views earned him the nickname …show more content…
It was by this time that Charlie had earned himself a new nickname, “Good Time Charlie.” This was due to his “party” attitude. Wilson was known as leading a rather rambunctious personal life. He was a known alcoholic, and was even investigated once for the use of cocaine at a party. His alcoholism increased dramatically during his involvement in Afghanistan. So much so that while on a vacation in Germany he was taken to the hospital. It was there that a doctor told him his heart was failing due to the excessive alcohol abuse. This led to serious fits of depression and insomnia that he would struggle with for
MSL 3020
Sergeant First Class Robert Roof
DUE: 22APR2016
Work Hard, Party Hard- The Life of Charles Wilson
Charles Nesbitt Wilson is a man most famously commended for his involvement in the Soviet Union’s withdrawal form Afghanistan in the 1980’s. He was a man that achieved political success early on in life and utilized this to shape the entire future of the Middle East, specifically in Afghanistan. Aside from his success in this area, Charlie was a man that suffered from severe alcohol abuse. He led an extravagant life filled with women and parties. He was noted as being the perfect example of the “Work hard, Party Hard” lifestyle.
Charlie Wilson was born and raised in small southern style town on Trinity, Texas in 1933. He was named after his father, Charles Wilson, who was an accountant for a local logging company. Charlie’s mother was named Wilmuth; she worked as a local florist in the community. Charlie attended the public school of Trinity High School until his graduation in 1951. From here he went to Sam Houston University located in Huntsville, Texas. He only attended the school for a semester while he awaited admissions to the United States Naval academy. He then attended the Naval Academy until his graduation in 1956. His college career here was by no means a smooth time. Charlie managed to achieve the second highest amount of demerits ever received by a cadet at the school. The only person in history to receive more demerits than him was his roommate. Wilson graduated eighth from the bottom of his class. Although he was so lowly ranked, he still successfully graduated with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering. Wilson served in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1960. During his time as an officer he served aboard a destroyer with the purpose of locating Soviet Submarines. He achieved the rank of lieutenant and then that of gunnery officer. His Naval career was nothing spectacular. He did his job well but did not leave any remarkable achievements behind. The officers above him noted that while he was excellent while at seas, he was a disaster at port. This is because Wilson had established a name for himself as a heavy “partier.” The most noteworthy thing about his military career is that it opened the gateway for his next job, a specialized intelligence unit at the Pentagon. His position at the Pentagon was considered top secret. It is now known that he was apart of a special unit tasked with gathering intelligence about the Soviet Unions Nuclear ability. It was while working in the Pentagon that he met President Kennedy. It was in 1960 that Wilson joined in aiding President Kennedy’s campaign. While assisting Kennedy, Wilson discovered his love of politics. During this time Wilson took a 30-day leave from the Navy. While on leave he returned to his home in Texas where he campaigned for the position of Texas State Representative under the Democratic ticket. It is important to note that it is against military regulation to hold political office while serving. The entirety of his 30 day leave was spent campaigning, and when he returned to the Navy his family continued the campaign for him. Wilson left the Navy at the end of 1960 and in 1961 he was elected to office. It is an impressive achievement that he gained the position at the young age of 27. For the next 12 years he served as Representative and supported many liberal ideas. These ideas included things like abortion, equal rights and Medicaid. His political views earned him the nickname …show more content…
It was by this time that Charlie had earned himself a new nickname, “Good Time Charlie.” This was due to his “party” attitude. Wilson was known as leading a rather rambunctious personal life. He was a known alcoholic, and was even investigated once for the use of cocaine at a party. His alcoholism increased dramatically during his involvement in Afghanistan. So much so that while on a vacation in Germany he was taken to the hospital. It was there that a doctor told him his heart was failing due to the excessive alcohol abuse. This led to serious fits of depression and insomnia that he would struggle with for