Former congressman Charlie Wilson helped fund Afghanistan's resistance to the Soviet Union. His story was told in the book and film 'Charlie Wilson's War.'

 Former congressman Charlie Wilson helped fund Afghanistan's resistance to the Soviet Union. His story was told in the book and film 'Charlie Wilson's War.'

Who Was Charlie Wilson?

Charlie Wilson's political career began when he was elected Texas State Representative at age 27. In 1980, he began using his seat on the Defense Appropriations subcommittee to secretly steer billions of dollars to Afghan rebels resisting Soviet occupation. Funding grew over the next several years, and the last Soviet soldiers left Afghanistan in 1989.

Early Military Career

Charles Nesbitt Wilson was born on June 1, 1933, in the small town of Trinity, Texas. He attended public schools there and graduated from Trinity High School in 1951. While attending Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, Wilson was appointed to the United States Naval Academy. Wilson received a bachelor's degree, graduating eighth from the bottom of his class in 1956.

From 1956 to 1960, Wilson served in the U.S. Navy, attaining the rank of lieutenant. Having graduated as a gunnery officer, he was assigned to a destroyer that searched for Soviet submarines. He then took a top secret post at the Pentagon as part of an intelligence unit that evaluated the Soviet Union's nuclear forces.