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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Dr. Matthew C. Lorence

Charles J. "Larry" Lorence enlisted in the US Army Air Corps in 1941 at the age of 23. His distinguished career included active duty in World War II, Pacific Theater, where he was awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters while transporting supplies in DC-3 aircraft from India to China over the "Burma Hump."

After retiring from the US Air Force in 1962, he continued to serve his country as a radar/sonar specialist (GS-9) with the US Navy Military Sealift Command. He played a key role in the development of oceangoing missile tracking stations, especially the USS Redstone, which provided crucial support for the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission.

After 39 years of combined military and civilian service, he served as facilities manager for the San Francisco Forty-Niners football team, retiring again in 1984. He died on June 25, 1990 and was buried with full military honors at Golden Gate National Cemetery.