Charles L. Thomas enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942. Within a year, he was Second Lieutenant and was fighting overseas in World War II. In 1944 while leading a task force in France, he was wounded saving his men when their vehicle came under fire. Wounded, Thomas was able to facilitate a return fire and evacuated only after things died down. The U.S. Army awarded Thomas the Distinguished Service Cross, which was upgraded to a Medal of Honor posthumously in 1997.