| Photo by Jane Scherr |
Charles Larson Interview: Conversations with History; Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
| Photo by Jane Scherr |
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Admiral Larson, welcome to Berkeley.
Thank you Harry, it's great to be here.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but my family moved away when I was one year old. They moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and I grew up in Iowa and Nebraska.
And that's where you went to public schools?
That's where I went to public schools.
How did your parents shape you character, do you think, looking back?
Well, we had a very traditional fifties-type family, my sister and myself and a mother and father. They taught me values. They taught me the important things in life, taught me to always try and do my best. I guess from day one I knew I was pointed for higher education and also pointed to go out and do something to make a contribution both to my community and my country.
Did you have any teachers as a young person that influenced you before you went off into the Naval Academy?
Well, I moved around enough that I would say I had a number of teachers that influenced me. Probably not a single one that stands out as a principal mentor, but good teachers in every location that motivated me to try and do my best and to try and achieve.
Any subject in particular interest you as a young person?
I was interested in most of the technical courses, math and science, engineering. And history. I must admit I wasn't quite as good in English, but I've worked hard over the years to overcome those weaknesses.
That's true of many of us. What about books? Any books that you read as a young person that stuck with you, whether about sports or anything?
I think one that really stuck with me, one of the first books that I
think had an impact on my thinking, was The Fountainhead by
Ayn Rand. I was struck with the individualism of the hero in that
book, a person who stood on principle against all of the currents and
all of the flow of society and potential -- giving up money and fame
and other things, said "No, I'm going to stand for what I believe
in." And that really stuck with me and that was something I think
that's influenced my character.
Beyond that, I enjoyed adventure
series, Jack London, Horatio Hornblower. I can't say that Horatio
Hornblower influenced me to go into the Naval Academy or to the Navy,
but both of those series really told me that there's adventure,
there's things to do out there and, I think, influenced me to be an
active person out there, doing things outside of an office.
Anything else influence you in your decision to go to the Naval Academy and become a Navy officer?
No. I had no military background in my family. My father was too young for World War I and too old for World War II. I had a couple of uncles that were drafted. So I had no tradition whatsoever, and I think I chose the Naval Academy more on discipline and structure and ability to succeed. I took a lot on faith. I left to be sworn into the Naval Academy and I had never been west of Denver or east of Chicago. And I had been in the Navy essentially a year before I saw my first ocean. So I must say that I did take on faith that I would enjoy the naval life.
That's good. I gather that you roomed with John McCain at the Naval Academy?
We actually didn't room at the Naval Academy, we were best friends there and classmates and we did everything together, but when we graduated we roomed together for two years as bachelors as we went through flight training. We lived together in three locations in Pensacola, Florida, one in Memphis, Tennessee, and one in Corpus Christi, Texas. And we actually flew in a two-plane section. We were wingmen as we went through our advanced training. And we were very close and have remained close to this day.
What year did you graduate from the Academy?
We graduated in 1958.
1958, so the sixties hadn't come yet.
The sixties came a little later as we were progressing through our military service.
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