Apollo Legend & American Patriot
As his granddaughter, I’ve been fortunate to hear countless stories of Charlie's over the years. Yet, for the sake of this interview, our conversations take on a new tone—more directional, more tailored. Speaking with my grandfather is always a blessing - and most people who have had the pleasure of meeting him would agree. He exudes wisdom, kindness, and, oh yeah - he’s walked on the Moon. Additionally, to my benefit for writing this article, he is an incredible storyteller. So I sit back and allow his narratives to unfold, just as they always do, with the same fervor and enthusiasm as if the events occurred just yesterday.
Duke family at the Naval Base in Daytona Beach, Florida (1944) Charles Moss Duke Jr. (bottom right) with his identical twin brother William Waters (Bill) Duke (bottom left), and parents Willie Catherine Waters and Charles Moss Duke.
FORGET COWBOYS & INDIANS
As World War II loomed on the horizon, Charlie and his twin brother Bill, just six years old at the time, resided in Charlotte, North Carolina, indulging in childhood mischief and immersing themselves in games of Cowboys and Indians. Duke vividly recalls the moment he returned home from church, to have his father eagerly flick on the radio to catch President Roosevelt’s address to the nation regarding the devastating bombing of Pearl Harbor.
His father, an insurance agent at the time, decided to volunteer and ended up in the Navy. Given his age and expertise, he was commissioned as an officer and stationed at California North Island, a major Navy installation near San Diego. There, he would serve as a supply officer for the ensuing six months.
Charlie remembers the family traveling by train to visit. Feeling like they were “always in Texas”, the train ride across the country, albeit long, was fascinating for a young kid, he explains. Once on the West Coast, the twins, like any second grade boys, took advantage of the new surroundings. Charlie reminisces on swimming within the rocks and caves of the Pacific sea wall, highlighting their sense of adventure.
After a year in sunny California, his dad was relocated to the South Pacific, prompting the family’s relocation to Johnston, SC to live with their grandmother. Nestled on the outskirts of the county, the boys now had up to 400 acres of farmland to get into mischief. Staying up to date with his father’s activities was important, with letter exchanges serving as a lifeline to the front lines of the war.
Charlie and Bill quickly settled into their new home. Their tight-knit family, including aunts, uncles, and cousin BoBo, fostered a sense of belonging while their father was away in service to the country. Lacking a father figure during this time, Pick, a man who worked on Charlie’s grandmothers farm stepped in as their mentor. “He was a disciplinarian. And he taught us how to work on the farm.” Charlie explains, crediting Pick to instilling in him a strong work ethic.
Brothers Charlie and Bill, Coronado, CA, 1942.
Just beyond his grandmother’s house was a railroad track, where troop trains would rumble past on their journey to Augusta, Georgia. For young Charlie and Bill, it was something they looked forward to—dashing up to wave eagerly at the passing soldiers in admiration.
Surrounded by effects of the war, Charlie’s affection for all things military blossomed. “Growing up in the South, you were just proud to be an American.”
“Everybody had a job that was patriotic,” Duke reflects, his voice proud as he recalls the days when people rallied to support their country during the war. “Even kids collected aluminum foil or cans.”
War wasn’t just a distant notion- its effects were woven into daily life. Charlie recalls walking almost everywhere because gasoline was rationed. And on Saturdays, after they’ve earned their pay of a few dollars from picking cotton, he and Bill would walk to town to catch a movie. He remembers when newsreels would play before the film started to keep people up to speed on the war.
For a young Charlie, heroes weren’t just confined to storybooks and movies - they included his father, the soldiers passing on the train behind his house, and the real men on the big screen. These were the new heroes. So, Charlie and Bill swapped their toy pistols and chaps for model airplanes. “It used to be Cowboy and Indians but now we were playing war.”
Once his dad returned from the South Pacific, he found himself stationed in Florida, and the Duke family made the move to Daytona Beach where they’d live for about a year. Charlie loved it - he loved his new school, he loved being able to fish often, and he cherished how his dad could clean his and Bill’s fresh catch on the pier. It was a golden year, set against the backdrop of 1946, with the war finally over.
Admiral Farragut Academy, St. Petersburg, FL, 1952. Cadet Duke, 16 years old.
When Charlie’s father was discharged, they made the move back to South Carolina, finding a house to settle in the small town of Lancaster. Back to civilian life, his father opened an insurance business and his mother opened a ladies dress shop, a business she got experience in during the Great Depression working for a famous dress designer in New York.
Joining the boy scouts in his early teen years proved to be a pivotal point for Charlie. He recalls plenty of outdoor adventures and camping excursions offering not only recreation and brotherhood, but essential skills of independence. Most importantly, they instilled within him a strong sense of duty to his country, a commitment he vividly affirmed through the Boy Scout Oath— “to do my duty, to God and my country…” - a pledge whose magnitude would only become clear in the years to come.
His sense of duty didn’t end with the Scouts; it was reinforced by his mother’s staunch guidance. Growing up in the tight-knit community of Lancaster, the weight of family reputation was palpable. “You couldn’t get off the rails,” he recalls. “You had to represent your family.” This consciously shaped his actions and character.
In early high school, his folks built a house in the country on two acres called Partridge Hill. Like living on his grandmother’s farm in Johnston, Charlie loved living in the country. His father gifted a shotgun to the boys, and Charlie and Bill turned to hunting quail and rabbits in the nearby fields in order to ‘stay out of trouble’. This was the beginning of the Jet Age. Charlie recalls seeing contrails in the sky overhead as he looked for quail in the blue sky, thinking to himself “Man, I’d like to make a contrail.”
Inspired by the allure of flight, he harbored a newfound ambition to follow his dad’s footsteps and go to the Naval Academy. Although he would miss being with Bill at Lancaster High, Charlie knew the only way to get there was to go to a military prep school. Prep school proved successful for Charlie’s goals. After graduating as President and Valedictorian of his senior class at Farragut Academy, he was accepted into the Naval Academy’s class of 1957.
However, it only took a few weeks for Charlie to know that sea duty didn’t quite fit his aspirations - or his stomach. The constant motion of the small boats left him queasy, as if perpetually on the brink of illness. Thankfully, they were given flights in a pre-WWII single engine seaplane as part of their naval training. After three or four flights, he fell in love.
His passion for flying ignited with a simple yet profound joy: “It was just fun, you were in the air and could control this thing. I mean these were open cockpits. It was pre-WW2 flying.” Fear never gripped him; rather, an overwhelming excitement fueled his pursuits. Without a doubt, he embraced aviation as his path forward. Excited to jump into Naval aviation in a permanent capacity, Charlie was dismayed when testing revealed Astigmatism in his right eye, disqualifying him for the Naval aviation.
‘...But the airforce will take you.’ young Charlie was told, solidifying his choice to go to the Air Force. “That was 1957. Now, 60 something years later, no doctor has ever seen an Astigmatism in my eye!” laughs Charlie, ultimately knowing now that this (and many other) decisions ended up playing a part in how he got to the Moon.
Charlie Duke during his years at the Naval Academy, standing with his father.
Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, 1959 Charlie took this image of a F-86D that is ‘set up for a scramble’ in the alert hanger, as part of the 526th Fighter Intecerptor Squadron.
“Man, I’m an Astronaut! I’ve Got It Made!”
Fast forward to 1962, his three year assignment in Germany was coming to a close. The Air Force recommended that young officers get as much education as possible, and with Charlie’s high goal for achievements, he decided to go to graduate school. He was accepted into MIT to study astronautics and aeronautics, a degree he wasn’t even aware of at the time existed, but since it was the only one offered to him, he said “Sure, I’ll take it!”
His longing for flying took a backseat to his ambition to succeed in his career. Thus, in his view, pursuing graduate school seemed justified, even though he realized he wouldn’t be flying for a few years. At that point, Charlie certainly didn’t give any thought into becoming an astronaut. His thoughts were preoccupied by 8 hours of studying and his new southern bride-to-be, Dotty. Charlie proposed around Christmas 1962. While in her hometown of Atlanta, they attended a costume ball which Charlie suggested they dress up as test pilots. Decorating themselves with signs around their neck, Charlie’s read “On the Moon” and Dotty’s finished the sentence with “in June”, to announce their upcoming wedding date the following year. Little did they realize, he would be selected to become an astronaut only a few years later.
Just the previous year, on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard made the first manned U.S. space flight. Weeks later, President Kennedy announced the goal to land a man on the Moon in the next decade. Charlie’s reaction was one of incredulous unbelief. None of the fellow men in his squadron believed that goal to be achievable, he remembers, especially considering the difficulties the space program had in just launching small satellites.
U.S. Naval Academy Summer Training, 1955 Image of Charlie’s second class year at U.S. Naval Academy. Charlie is third from the left in the front row.
In 1962, President Kennedy announced the goal to land a man on the Moon in the next decade. Charlie’s reaction was one of incredulous unbelief, a thought shared by the men in his squadron.
Charlie’s initial interaction with NASA involved volunteering to conduct statistical analysis for a project being carried out by MIT for the space program. Being involved in this project brought him into contact with several astronauts. Charlie remembers believing that becoming an astronaut would represent the pinnacle achievement for a test pilot.
The thing that got Charlie’s attention was the fact that he would not only get to fly, but he would get to work on the design of the spacecraft. Charlie’s forte was operational engineering and his passion was flight - it would be a perfect role for him.
It wasn’t until he was assigned to the class of ‘64-C (aka ‘64-Charlie) where he was able to advance both his flying and engineering training. And that, he thought, gave him a chance of becoming an astronaut. Keeping up to date with NASA’s programs, Charlie knew they were wrapping up Gemini and moving onto the Apollo program. He was determined that if an opening came up, he would take the opportunity.
On a Sunday afternoon in September of 1965, while Charlie was engrossed in watching a professional football game, his attention was caught by a nearby Los Angeles Times. There, on the front page, lay a job posting that would alter his life forever.
‘NASA is looking for men. You must be a United States citizen, not over 36 years old, less than 6 feet tall, with a college bachelor’s degree and with at least 1,000 hours flying time. If you meet all the requirements, then please apply.’
Knowing he checked all the boxes, he quickly got approval from Dotty and applied. After passing physicals, interviews, and plenty of testing, Charlie got the job. Of the 3,500 applicants, Charlie was one of the 19 men (calling themselves the ‘Original 19’) selected to make up the fifth group of astronauts to join the NASA space program. Of these 19, 9 went to the Moon, and 3 walked on the Moon.
As Charlie drove into Houston with Dotty and his newborn son, Charles, he was reminded of his achievement: from a small-town boy to a NASA astronaut. He thought to himself, “Wow, I’m an astronaut. I’ve made it!” A year later, Charlie and Dotty had their second son, Tom, completing the Duke family.
Charlie got his first experience on the Mission Control team during the last two Gemini launches in 1967. Charlie recalls the intensity of the launch countdowns, knowing that if something goes wrong, the control room had to be on top of the situation. But despite the intensity, he loved being part of the team.
Thereafter, he served on 5 Apollo missions, beginning with Apollo 10 in 1969 serving as Capsule Communicator (CapCom), the lead communicator between the flight director in Houston and the spacecraft. His performance in this mission would have caught the attention of a discerning individual, affording him the chance to participate in the most thrilling endeavor mankind has ever embarked upon.
“Charlie, can you help us on Apollo 11?” asks Neil Armstrong, the man selected to be the first person to ever set foot on the Moon. Charlie was elated and honored, replying, “You bet!”
On July 20, 1969, Charlie was communicating to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as they descended the Lunar Module and landed on the surface of the Moon.
The descent was stressful - fuel was running critically low, but the call was made to proceed with the landing. The Lunar Module landed with just seconds of fuel rmaining, and the control room was holding their breath. “You could hear a pin drop.” explains Charlie.
‘Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.’ announces Armstrong upon arrival. Charlie, on the other end of the line, lets out an exhilerated sigh of relief. As the control room around him was ready to sprawl into celebration, Charlie responds with controlled enthusiasm and his famous southern drawl, ‘Roger, Twank...Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We’re breathing again, thanks a lot’. He explains that he was so excited when he responded, he couldn’t even get the words out right.
When I asked Charlie about this moment, he shared with me a story I had never heard before: Armstrong had told Charlie that he was going to alter the call sign of the spacecraft upon landing. In honor of the landing site, the Sea of Tranquility, Armstrong would add the famous line, ‘Tranquility base here’, before announcing the landing.
Curiosity took root, prompting a follow up question: “What about the Armstrong’s historic first words”, referring to ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’. “Did Armstrong rehearse that line?” I asked.
Responding, perhaps not having thought much about this question before, Charlie explains that during training, “you could tell Neil was debating what he would say”. Although they trained together, briefed and debriefed together, and went over every detail of the descent together, Charlie, nor anyone else, knew if Armstrong had those words rehearsed. But these words did not come as a surprise to Charlie and Mission Control. All of Apollo looked at the mission of landing on the Moon as an achievement for humanity.
“We looked at Apollo as a U.S. triumph, but we knew it wasn’t just for us. It was a giant leap for mankind. It was the first time anybody had ever left Earth and landed on another heavenly body, so it was very significant in human history.”
“My Heart Sank”
The Apollo 16 crew - Thomas ‘TK’ Mattingly, John Young, and Charlie Duke - had been training together for years, and it was finally their time to make strides toward the Moon.
Mattingly, the Command Module Pilot (CMP), was a naval aviator from Chicago, IL and was originally supposed to fly on Apollo 13. However, Duke exposed him to the Measles and he was replaced just weeks before the launch. When it was found that the oxygen tank ruptured in the service module as they were 200,000 miles from Earth, it really touched Mattingly. He knew he should be there. Luckily, Mattingly never held it against Duke and he was able to serve on Apollo 16 alongside Duke.
“Mattingly knew the spacecraft inside and out,” says Duke. He was to stay in orbit while the other two guys landed on the Moon, and in Duke’s words, he was to “keep the home fires burning.”
“Mattingly weighed all options. He looked ahead and was the realist of the group.” Duke continues, saying, “My attitude on things was more like, ‘Let’s press on. Let’s get it done.” But he explains that they fit together really well.
The Apollo 16 Crew with the Lunar Rover. Charlie Duke (Lunar Module Pilot) is seated, John Young (Commander) is in the center and Ken Mattingly (Command Module Pilot) is to the right.
The third member and Commander of the crew was John Young. Young was really good at molding them into a cohesive crew, claims Duke. They trained together for hours on end, learning how to communicate with each other, respond to various situations, and foster mutual trust.
As commander of the crew, it was Young who made the final call. Although Young was Commander, “he was not an autocratic ruler”, Duke says. “He was very efficient as a commander.” For Young, he was the one with experience having multiple space flights under his belt, whereas for Duke and Mattingly it was their first flight. He had the experience, knew when to interject, and knew problems and strengths, but was open to collaboration and embraced teamwork.
It’s April 21, 1972 and the crew of Apollo 16 are orbiting the Moon.
Once the Lunar Module (“Orion”), carrying soon-to-be moonwalkers Duke and Young, was successfully undocked from the Command Module, it was time for Mattingly to execute an orbit change, positioning himself and the Command Module on the proper rendezvous path in case Duke and Young needed to abort their descent onto the Moon. During burn preparations, Mattingly discovered something majorly wrong with the backup control system in the engine. Under mission rules, without this system, it meant they were a ‘no go’ for the circulation burn, meaning a ‘no go’ for landing.
“My heart sank,” Duke remembers. They had trained for 2 ½ years and traveled 240,000 miles, and they could literally see the landing site 8 miles below. They were one hour away from their scheduled landing, and now it looked as though they were going to have to return to Earth. “It was a very disappointing moment,” he recalls.
Having all three men experienced firsthand the difficulties of Apollo 13 and the distress the crew members felt from being unable to land on the Moon, they considered this to be one of the worst possible scenarios.
At this point, chances of landing were slim to none, but the NASA team, along with contractors across the country, were working feverishly to discover every possibility available for getting them on the Moon.
After a four-hour wait, continuously orbiting and nearing fuel depletion, they received the crucial message: “You do have a go for another attempt.” On the next revolution around the Moon, Duke and Young were to land in their scheduled Descartes highlands region of the Moon. “Our hearts came alive,” Duke explains it. “It was like being called back from the dead!”
Home Away From Home
“Old Orion is finally here, Houston. Fantastic!” Duke announced after their jarring landing. “We don’t have to walk far to pick up rocks, Houston” exclaimed Young, “We’re among them!”
“It was an excitement like a little boy at Christmas. We must have said fantastic a hundred times.”
Young and Duke stood with their noses pressed against the window, eagerly pointing out and describing the rocks and terrain they had spent years studying on paper; now, it lay before them, tangible and real.“It was an excitement like a little boy at Christmas.” he recalls laughing. “We must have said fantastic a hundred times.”
But they had critical things to do, and because of the six-hour landing delay, they were ordered to get some rest before opening the hatch. The Apollo 16 crew had been up almost 20 hours working tirelessly, so Duke and Young didn’t argue.
For Duke, stepping on the Moon was filled with wander, awe, and excitement. In remembrance, he exclaims, “It was like, ‘I’m on the Moon!’” almost at a loss for words to describe the surreal moment, now seated in his home in SC, almost 52 years to the day later.
Duke felt right at home. “There’s Stone Mountain on the left, and Smoky Mountains on the right!”
Although a hostile environment, they had the confidence in their knowledge, training, and equipment, so were able to take in the beauty of it all. Duke claims that the Moon has a special beauty of its own. “There is almost a purity about it - so still and pristine, unspoiled by any pollution of man.” Duke paints a great picture: the sun shines brightly, the lunar sky is pitch black with no stars visible—just the gray hills and mountains, all smooth and gently rolling toward the horizon.
Three days later, after pleading with Houston for two more hours on the Moon, Duke and Young climbed back into the LM to rendezvous back with Mattingly. The crew landed safely in the South Pacific Ocean on April 27, 1972. Duke made his way back to Texas, joining back with his wife and two young sons, Charles and Tom.
A Return from the Moon Apollo 16 crew is welcomed back on the deck of the recovery ship.
A Family Man in Space (Image of Charlie Duke and Family - wife Dotty, and two sons - Charles, left, and Tom, right). To ‘bring the family’ with him to the Moon, Charlie left a family photo on the lunar surface.
“I’d promised my kids I’d take them to the Moon with me, and I did: one of my final acts before heading back to Earth was leaving this picture of my family behind.” - Charlie Duke
Kings, Presidents, and Prime Ministers
After the Moon landing, Charlie joined the crew of America’s Apollo heroes and traveled the globe to share the accomplishment.
Charlie left NASA in 1976, and in ‘78, he had someone prophecy over him. “He basically told me,” Charlie continues, “The Lord says I have watched over you and guided your every step. And through you, my name will be shared with Kings, Presidents, and Prime Ministers.” Dotty became a Christian in ‘75. In ‘78, Charlie did too.
Sure enough, throughout their decades of traveling for speaking engagements, Charlie and Dotty have indeed visited with presidents, prime ministers, dictators, and kings from across the globe.
“I know now God had a purpose in sending me to the Moon, because being one of 12 men that had walked on the Moon opens a lot of doors.”
________
Although he’s lived many places, and the Moon was his temporary home away from home, Charlie will tell you that his roots are in South Carolina.
In February 2023, Charlie and Dotty relocated from their home of over 60 years in Texas to Greenville, South Carolina, reconnecting with their lifelong ties to the state, where Charlie grew up in Lancaster and they spent each year visiting Pawleys Island. As of Spring 2024, they have 9 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, whom they get to visit with often amidst their many travels. They continue to spread their faith and Charlie’s Apollo adventures in the United States and various countries around the world.
Young Charlie Duke, who once waved at soldiers passing by on the train as they embarked to serve their country, would surely be proud of his accomplishments.
Charlie and Dotty Duke in their new South Carolina home. Photography by Jack Robert (2024)