CHARLES J. WESCHLER, LT, USN
Charles Weschler '32
Lucky Bag
From the 1932 Lucky Bag:
CHARLES JOHN WESCHLER
Erie, Pennsylvania
"Wesch" "Charley"
"Go West, young man, go West," but heedless of this good advice he, none other than Charles Weschler, came East. Oh, the pity of it! Yes, when the Naval Academy claimed its own "Wesch," Pennsylvania's staunchest supporters and one of '32's savviest volunteers, found himself marking ink in one hand and piccolo in the other.
Wherever you travel with "Wesch"—whether on the heights of Tibidabo, drifting through Pompeii, knocking about London, or merely rambling up and down the Seaward Terrace—you will find him your true pal and constant friend. Keeping "Wesch" happy is a problem no bigger than his appetite. In fact we attribute the major portion of his academic victories to a plenteous supply of baked "spuds," although when the Hill and Dale season comes around "Charley" is apt to be a shade slimmer than usual.
If it were Einstein's privilege to know "Wesch," that eminent scientist would wonder with the rest of us, "That one small head could carry all he knew."
Cross-Country, C32C; Track, 32; Cut Exchange Manager; Lucky Bag Staff; 4 Stripes; Star.
Charles was Regimental Sub-Commander.
CHARLES JOHN WESCHLER
Erie, Pennsylvania
"Wesch" "Charley"
"Go West, young man, go West," but heedless of this good advice he, none other than Charles Weschler, came East. Oh, the pity of it! Yes, when the Naval Academy claimed its own "Wesch," Pennsylvania's staunchest supporters and one of '32's savviest volunteers, found himself marking ink in one hand and piccolo in the other.
Wherever you travel with "Wesch"—whether on the heights of Tibidabo, drifting through Pompeii, knocking about London, or merely rambling up and down the Seaward Terrace—you will find him your true pal and constant friend. Keeping "Wesch" happy is a problem no bigger than his appetite. In fact we attribute the major portion of his academic victories to a plenteous supply of baked "spuds," although when the Hill and Dale season comes around "Charley" is apt to be a shade slimmer than usual.
If it were Einstein's privilege to know "Wesch," that eminent scientist would wonder with the rest of us, "That one small head could carry all he knew."
Cross-Country, C32C; Track, 32; Cut Exchange Manager; Lucky Bag Staff; 4 Stripes; Star.
Charles was Regimental Sub-Commander.
Loss
Charles was lost while a Prisoner of War… but it is unclear exactly when or how. The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial and this list have him aboard the Brazil Maru POW ship, perishing on January 16, 1945. However, this other list of POWs has his date of death as December 15, 1944.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Charles married Mary Allen Everett on May 10, 1939, in Portsmouth, Virginia.
His father was a clothing salesman, mother Florence, sisters Florence and Marion, and brothers Frank and Thomas.
The April 1, 1941 Navy Directory lists his station as the 16th Naval District, Cavite, Philippines.
His wife was listed as next of kin. He was also survived by a daughter, Ann Amelia, who was born in ~1940. Charles' brother, Tom, was a 1939 graduate and retired a Vice Admiral.
Charles has a memory marker in Pennsylvania.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
Namesake
The great cabin aboard SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is named for Charles.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
