Captain Charles E. Roemer, USN
Captain Charles E. Roemer, USN, was born in Visalia, California in 1916. He entered Navy Flight Training after graduation from Santa Ana College and received his wings on July 14, 1938. He served in Scouting Squadron Two aboard the carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) from 1938 to 1941. He was serving as Landing Signal Officer aboard the Lady Lex when the great ship was sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May, 1942.
From 1942 to 1944 Captain Roemer served in the Great Lakes, where he was assigned as a Landing Signal Officer on board the training aircraft carriers USS Wolverine (IX 64) and USS Sable (IX 81). In this capacity he had the opportunity to fly many of the aircraft that were assigned to the Carrier Qualification Training Unit at NAS Glenview, Illinois. On June 10, 1943, he recorded a .8 hour test hop in Bureau Number 2106, one of three flights he made that day, which included a carrier landing and launch on board Wolverine and a familiarization flight in an F4U-1 Corsair. On June 11 he was in the air again multiple times, a standard pattern in his log book during that time. In one entry he recorded making the 10,000th landing on board Wolverine.
From 1944 to 1946, he served as Air Officer aboard the carrier USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) in the Atlantic. He commanded Attack Squadron 2A in 1948 followed by a tour at Corpus Christi, Texas. During the Korean War he served as Executive Officer of the USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-46) and Operations Officer of the USS Antietam (CVA-36).
From 1952 to 1954, he served with the Air Force at Norton Air Force Base, California, followed by a tour at the Aviation Safety Center, Norfolk, Virginia, until 1955. Izmir, Turkey, and a job as Staff Planning Officer on a NATO Air Staff was his next tour of duty. Captain Roemer attended the Naval War College just prior to working in the Office of the CNO as head of the National Policy Branch of the Strategic Plans Division. After leaving the Office of CNO in July, 1960, Captain Roemer attended the National War College just prior to assuming command of the USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13) on 9 August, 1961. He was detached on 23 July, 1962. He assumed command of the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) on 13 February, 1963 and was detached on 16 February, 1964.
Captain Roemer is married to the former Louise Sexton of Santa Ana, California. The Roemers have three daughters.