Though he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal upon returning, it was difficult for him to re-adjust to the military after his time in civilian life he was court-martialed for gambling, usury, and possession of a non-regulation firearm. After marrying his girlfriend, Kathy Leissner, he did pick up the slack a bit, but the USMC withdrew his scholarship in 1963 and he was sent to active duty at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune near Jacksonville, North Carolina. Also, though he was quite intelligent, his grades were sub-par and he began racking up some gambling debts. While studying, Whitman practiced karate, scuba diving and was also an avid hunter the latter got him in trouble on one occasion when he shot a deer, took its carcass to his dorm room and skinned it in the shower. On September 15, 1961, he entered the mechanical engineering program at the University of Texas on a Marine Corps scholarship. He earned a number of decorations, including a Sharpshooter's Badge, and proved to be an excellent marksman, especially at rapid-fire from long distances and at moving targets. This scholarship program trained engineers who were to become officers. He was a part of the Naval Enlisted Science Education Program (NESEP). Charles spent most of his service at the USMC's base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. His father, who was strongly opposed to the decision, personally made a call to "some branch of Federal government" and tried to have his son's acceptance reversed. On July 6, 1959, less than a month after he turned 18, Charles joined the U.S. All three brothers were also altar boys at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. Growing up, Charles was a pitcher in a local baseball team, took up piano lessons, was an Eagle Scout and was taught by his father how to handle firearms along with his brothers. He was sometimes abusive to her and would discipline his sons physically. Whitman was born on June 24, 1941, in Lake Worth, Florida where his father, Charles Adolph "C.A." Whitman, ran a plumbing business and had, besides Whitman, two younger sons named Patrick and John with his wife, Margaret.
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