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Like his aircraft, Charles A. Sewell keeps his body taut; well-tuned. He is muscular and deap-chested. He's bronzed with a tan, although summer's sun has not yet risen.
His massive chest and slim waist reflect hours of weightlifting and his love of scuba, diving and underwater photography.
And when he smiles, he looks like a model for a toothpaste ad.
He moves with casual swiftness; an athlete, confident and sure, knowing he is physically and mentally capable of succeeding and achieving.
Texas-born and Oklahoma-raised, Sewell has earned a number of titles and degrees. He attended the College of William and Mary; George Washington University; the University of Maryland and New York's Institute of Technology. Regardless of his scholastic accomplishments, one of the proudest titles earned was that of "Marine."
"I was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant in November 1950," Sewell said. "As an aviator, I joined the First Marine Aircraft Wing in Korea in July 1951, and I began flying the F9F-2 Pantherjets of Marine Fighter Squadron 311 (the 'Willing Lovers').
"After my year's tour of duty was up, I extended for four months to serve as a FAC (forward air controller) with 'C'/1/1 of the First Marine Division."
(A FAC is a Marine pilot assigned to a Marine infantry unit. A FAC, like all other Marine officers, is a graduate of infantry training. His job with a ground unit is to provide liaison between the ground and air units, and to call Marine aviation for close air support or other needs, such as helicopter medical evacuations or resupply.)
"While I was, with 'Charlie' Company, I was wounded, and after spending some time in a hospital there in Korea, I was flown to the U.S. Naval Hospital at Oak Knoll, Calif."
After recuperating from his wounds, he became a flight instructor with VMFT-20 (a training unit) at the Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C. In May 1955, he became the first American Marine officer to fly as a flight commander with the Royal Marines' Aerobatic Team.
He returned to Cherry Point, where he served with Marine Fighter Squadron 531, and then Marine Air Support Squadron 2. Sewell was then ordered for a...