City of Goleta honors decorated World War II veteran
Charles Dever shows the city of Goleta’s proclamation honoring him for his 106th birthday.
Last month Charles Dever turned 106.
And the tailor’s son, who became a decorated World War II navigator for the Army Air Corps, got to celebrate his milestone with well-deserved honors.
The Goleta veteran was honored by the city of Goleta with a proclamation, signed by Mayor Paula Perotte.
And he was also honored by being part of Dream Flights, a nonprofit established to recognize seniors and U.S. veterans. Dream Flights enabled Mr. Dever and other veterans to talk with pilots and see planes up-close.
Mr. Dever was born on Sept. 20, 1915, in Englewood, N.J. He was the fourth of five children born to a tailor.
Mr. Dever, the only son, helped deliver clothing from his father’s downtown tailor shop, according to a news release.
He played football and was a track star in high school, but the Great Depression and World War II interrupted his plans to attend college. Instead, he worked at a cosmetics company in New York City until he was called to service by the Army.
He joined the Army Air Corps and was stationed on the East Coast before going overseas to North Africa and Western Europe as a navigator on B-24 airplanes. He completed more than 50 missions.
Lt. Dever was honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross among many other medals. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles, with his wife, to work at a cosmetics company. The couple had two children.
In the early 1960s, he went to work for the U.S. Postal Service until he retired in 1980.
After retirement, he continued to live in the family home in Fullerton, until July 2019 when he moved into Goleta to be closer to his Santa Barbara family.
email: dmason@newspress.com
