Charles William Heflin was born in Austin, Lander County, Nevada, on the15th of May, 1887. He lived in Battle Mountain, in the same county, until he was about ten years of age when the family moved to Napa, California. Charles grew to young manhood there, graduated from the high school, and took a position in the insurance business. In 1914 he returned to Battle Mountain to enter the employ of his brother-in-law, L. A. Lemaire, and remained there until the time of his enrollment in the army (June 15th 1918). After training for two months at the University of Nevada in Reno, he was transferred to Camp Fremont, California, to Company A, 8th Infantry, 8th Division. The regiment sailed for overseas on September 27th, arriving but shortly before the Armistice. Thereafter they were stationed at the port of Brest, France.

On April 17th, while returning with some of his comrades from a furlough, he and sixteen companions were killed in a railroad accident. They were buried at Le Mans.
Nevada joins with the relatives who mourn the loss of their soldier, yet she nourishes a great pride in him who so unselfishly made the great sacrifice of devotion. Those who survive are his parents, W. C. and Mary Heflin, his brother, E. E. Heflin, all of Napa, California: and his sisters, Mrs. L. A. Lemaire, of Battle Mountain, Nevada; Mrs. J. R. Downing, of Napa, and Mrs. George Mather, of Marysville, California.