• Dec. 23, 1905 – Nov. 29, 1942
• McMinn County, Tennessee
• Education – 1929
• Major – Army Air Corps
• Served in the US Army as an Air Corps Reserve Officer in 1929
• Active duty in 1939 after the German invasion of Poland
• Recalled as a Captain, promoted to Major, and took command of the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron, and was sent to Australia
• Observer on a B-17.  403rd Bomb Squardon, 43rd Bomb Group. MIA on a mission to shadow a convoy of Japanese destroyers in the Vitiaz Strait. Declared dead 7 Jan 1946.
• Lynnhurst Cemetery in Knoxville, TN, and the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila, Philippines

Thomas Nixon Charles (Dec. 23, 1905 – Nov. 29, 1942) was born in McMinn County, Tennessee. He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Education in 1929. Charles enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps as a reserve officer in 1929 after graduating from UT. He was called up to active duty in 1939 after the German Invasion of Poland as part of the US’s precautionary National Emergency war measures. He served out this first period of active duty until he was released in July 1941 as a Captain. When war broke out for the US at the end of that year, Cpt. Charles was recalled into active duty and quickly promoted to the rank of Major. He was assigned command of the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron and sent hastily to the Pacific Theater in the Spring of 1942. The 13th Reconnaissance was sent to Australia and reorganized as the 403rd Bomb Squadron in the 43rd Bomb Group. On November 29th, 1942, Maj. Charles was on board a B-17 tasked with shadowing a convoy of Japanese destroyers in the Vitiaz Strait when it went missing. They had reported via radio communications that the convoy was spotted, but no further contact was reported. The crew was officially changed from missing in action to killed in action on January 7, 1946. He is memorialized at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila, Philippines, and at Lynnhurst Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee.

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