In Our Righteous Might

Charles P. Vaughn was born in Ottumwa, Iowa in 1950 where he, along with his two brothers, were raised by their parents. Upon graduation from high school in 1969, he entered the U.S. Navy, serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway during the Vietnam conflict. Upon the completion of his service, he married his wife, Denice Pass, from Casa Grande, Arizona, and together they raised two daughters, Meredith and Maggie. He graduated from the Ottumwa Heights community college in 1977 receiving his associates degree in Liberal Arts. Later he would join the Iowa National Guard, accepting a full-time position and serving in both Iowa and Arizona. He retired from active service as a Sergeant First Class in September 1996 and, along with his family, still resides in Gilbert, Arizona. His decision to write this book cores from the compelling need he had to tell the story of a common family who went through the struggle of World War II. It is a story that needs to be told so the next generation can understand the sacrifices that were made so they could live, prosper, and grow in this country we call America.

This is a story about a generation that would suffer through the hardship of a great depression. They would not know at the time, but that struggle would be the foundation they would need to meet the greater challenge of World War II. I dedicate this book to my father, Donald Raymond Vaughn, and mother, LaVaun Martha Mitchell Vaughn, whom the inspiration, as well as the story, comes from. They were simple hardworking young adults who were beginning their lives as one family when the war in Europe came to America. Like so many young couples, they were looking forward to the future away from the depression where they could live, prosper, and begin their lives. But this generation would set aside their personal goals and go without question to war. Not because they wanted to, not for the glory of the fight, but because their generation understood that they had an obligation to rid the world of the hatred of a madman. This is one family's story, one that could mirror millions of others who were, like them, the greatest generation of the twentieth century.