School of Humanities & Social Sciences Veterans' Interviews Fall 2016 Veterans' Interviews Charles GrahamInterview of Charles Graham by Megan Sowell
October 28, 2016
United States Marine Corps veteran Lieutenant Colonel Charles Graham served his country for 25 years in the military. In this interview, he recounts important deployments and assignments, as well as his thoughts on leadership. He was born in Bamberg, South Carolina, and lived a simple country life before attending the University of South Carolina. After graduating from college, he became a United States Marine Corps Reserve Officer at Quantico, Virginia, where he commissioned as a 2nd Lt. Once finishing his required active duty assignments, he returned to South Carolina where he served in the Reserves until 1990.
In 1990 he received a call to go back on active duty with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. There, as a Captain, he was charged with leading and guiding his men home from the Persian Gulf War. While in the Reserves, he was given the assignment of Training Curriculum Development Officer at Parris Island, South Carolina; some of the training curriculum he helped create is still in effect today. His final active-duty tour was to the Middle East as a Major following September 11th. There he was assigned to Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan, Combined Disaster Assistance Command-Pakistan, and NATO-International Security Assistance Force-Afghanistan. He and his wife, Dr. Tammy Graham, then came to Charleston, South Carolina, to work at The Citadel, where he became a Tactical Officer. Currently, LTC Graham is the 3rd Battalion Tactical Officer, while his wife, Tammy, is an Associate Professor of Education.
This interview of LTC Graham provides a glimpse into his career as a Marine Corps officer. He gives first-hand accounts of leadership lessons learned while deployed and his involvement with various coalitions in other countries. This interview provides viewers with an overview of LTC Charles Graham’s military service and reveals his longtime commitment to principled leadership.