Drake, Charles H. (Charles Hinton), 1918-2009

Charles Hinton Drake (1918-2009) was born August 29, 1918 in Tattnall County, Georgia to Claude Hinton Drake and Alice Gordon Murray. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in March 1941. He trained as a Bombardier/Navigator and later served at a combat intelligence officer. He served in the 391st Bomb Group of the 9th Air Force rising to the rank of Major by the time he left in 1945. Drake saw action in England, France, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Croix de Guerre with Silver Star. Following the war he married Estelle Carolyn Nail on September 25, 1946. He attended Emory University and the Medical College of Georgia, receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1951. He set up his practice in Glennville, Georgia where he served his community as a physician for 30 years.