Charles R. Sharum was born on December 31, 1922, to Cornelius and Rosa Sharum of Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas. He was a 1941 graduate of St. Anne's Catholic Academy of Fort Smith, before moving to Northwest Arkansas in 1942. Sharum enlisted in the U.S. Air Corps on January 12, 1943, and served in the 327th Heavy Bomb Squadron during WWII. On May 24th, 1944, on a combat mission to Berlin, his plane was shot down, and he was captured and imprisoned by German forces. He spent the next year as a prisoner-of-war in various prison camps in Germany, including Stalag Luft IV. On May 1, 1945, he was liberated by Russian troops and returned to American custody. He returned to the U.S. in June of 1945 and received an honorable discharge as a technical sergeant. Sharum returned to Springdale, Washington County, Arkansas and married Marcella L. Head on April 7, 1946. He died on September 26, 1992, in Springdale.
From the description of Charles Sharum WWII P.O.W. diary, [manuscript] 1944-2006. (University of Arkansas - Fayetteville). WorldCat record id: 778903325
