Charles J. McGuire was born on June 23, 1924, in Belvue, Pottawatomie County, Kansas. He was married to Ruby Ward. Before World War II, he worked as a truck driver hauling gravel for highway construction projects, an experience that later prepared him for operating military vehicles and tanks. was drafted into the United States Army on July 12, 1942, and underwent training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He first served with the 9th Armored Group before later transferring to another unit. He served in the United States Army with the 740th Tank Battalion in World War II. Known as the “Daredevil Tankers”, the 740th was a separate battalion that fought from Utah Beach all the way to the Baltic Sea in support of various divisions of the US war effort.

Charles participated in the Normandy campaign, the breakout at St. Lô, the liberation of France, and the Battle of the Bulge, where he fought alongside the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. Serving primarily as a tank driver, he endured fierce combat across Europe and was eventually wounded by shrapnel while delivering a message by jeep in France. After recovering in England, he returned to his unit in Germany before the war ended in May 1945. Following the war, McGuire remained in Germany for an additional six months as part of the occupation force before returning to the United States in 1946. He later worked on the Santa Fe Railroad as a locomotive engineer. He died on April 23, 2010, and is now buried in the Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com