Charles was born one of four children in the tiny town of Lovejoy, Georgia, on September 14, 1920. He was raised in the country hunting birds and rabbits, but early on showed a yearning for adventure. When he was 12 years old, he decided to visit his grandparents in Arkansas. So (unbeknownst to his parents) with his rifle in one hand and his violin in the other, he caught a ride to Atlanta and then a freight train to Chattanooga where he slept on the courthouse lawn before deciding it was time to head back home, where he apparently had not been missed.
He went on to become an honor student at North Georgia College where he was Captain of “D” Company. He was an outstanding athlete in school as well as later in life. In school, he earned the nickname “Big Leaguer,” and was a draft pick for the then Washington Senators baseball team. His exceptional hand-eye coordination that gave him such early success in baseball would serve him throughout his life.
Charles grew up to be a young man with a love of country and a drive to succeed.Shortly after Pearl Harbor, he joined the US Navy, quickly earning his wings in June 1942, and entered combat in March of 1943. Charles’ naval career spanned from early bombing missions in World War II to serving in four campaigns in Vietnam.
As a lieutenant in World War II, Charles was awarded the Air Medal for long-range, nocturnal bombing raids on Japanese airfield installments on Wake Island. From January 30 to February 11, 1944, when he was just 23 years old, Charles flew the Navy’s “flying boat”– the large Coronado seaplane – from Midway to Wake Island (over 2,400 miles round-trip) at low-level, without the use of radar, and in the face of intense hostile anti-aircraft fire. All American planes returned safely.
In April of 1948, Charles was given a top-secret clearance for “Operation Sandstone,” to participate in atomic bomb testing at the Enewetok Atoll in the South Pacific. He later served with air anti-submarine squadrons in the Hunter-Killer Atlantic Fleet. In 1962 he became commander of Patrol Squadron 42 with the primary mission of anti-submarine warfare. In Vietnam, he served as Chief Staff Officer of a Fleet Air Wing whose mission was to patrol the coast of Vietnam to prevent infiltration from the sea. At the time of his retirement from service, Charles was commander of Fleet Air Wing Eight at Moffatt Field, California.
Charles was an optimist whose good manners and good humor carried him through life. Consequently, his family never heard him tell war stories or complain about what he was asked to do for his country. He would comment only that he had it easy compared to others.
Charles was a member of the Navy’s skeet shooting team and helped the team win two national championships. He was an avid bridge player and a trophy-winning golfer. He loved and cultivated many friends throughout his life, both overseas and at home.
Following his distinguished 25-year naval career, Commander Lindler retired in 1967 to South Carolina where he had family and began a second career as the owner and manager of a Howard Johnson motel franchise. He became an active member of the Columbia Rotary Club, the Hopeful Old Boys Club (aka HOBO’s) – with whom he played golf every month at courses around the state until he stopped playing at age 89 – and the Friday the 13th Club.
When he sold the business in 1986, Charles bought property on his beloved Lake Murray in Chapin, SC and built a home there. A true-blue Navy man, he wanted to live on the water, and achieved that life-long dream. He enjoyed watching the wildlife, boating, college football, and spending time with family and friends.
He was predeceased by his parents, Charles and Tommy Irene Lindler, his three siblings, and three of his former wives, including his wife of thirty-five years, Margaret Little Lindler. He is survived by his wife, Sandra Merritt, and his four daughters: Jamie Harpootlian (Richard) of Columbia, South Carolina, Margaret Kinda of Santa Cruz, California, Lura Daye Cheaves of Society Hill, Georgia, and Beverly Echols (Richard) of McDonough, Georgia, and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Commander Lindler will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. The date will be announced at a later time.
Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Chapin Chapel, is assisting the family with arrangements.
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