Charles B. Christian graduated from Rockdale High School in 1940. He joined the Army Air Corps in June 1940 as a radio operator-maintenance technician and rose to the grade of master sergeant in December 1942. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps in April 1945. His extensive training in the course of his government service included attendance at the University of Maryland, U.S. Army Top Management Seminar, U.S. Army Officer Electronics School and a number of other Army, Air Force and civilian schools. Christian also attended college at Herzogenaurach, Germany, and San Angelo College. During his military career he served in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, California, Missouri, Wisconsin, Virginia and Germany. He served at March AFB, California, and later at Goodfellow AFB after the school was moved to San Angelo. He served with the U.S. Army Security Agency, but left the Army as a captain in 1953 and entered the U.S. Air Force. He served in the active reserves until he retired as a Major in 1966. He continued his federal service career as the first civilian in the USAF Security Service School and was one of the two top-ranking civilian employees at Goodfellow AFB. His last position was as technical adviser to the Commandant, USAFSS School and Chief of the Technical Programs Division. During more than 17 years service to the command, he made constant and effective efforts to improve technical training and to standardize operating procedures at the school, receiving the Meritorious Civil Service Award on two different occasions. He retired as a GS-14 in July 1970, after a career spanning 28 years of federal service. Mr. Christian was given credit for the design of several complex electronics systems used in the Air Force Security Service. Among these was an Environmental Signal Simulator, labeled the QRC-379, which is used in training communications technicians for worldwide assignments. He was cited for outstanding service in developing, conducting and directing the technical and managerial training of more than 50,000 graduates of the school.
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