When you first meet Captain Charles R. MacVean, you are invariably greeted with a gentle smile and words of welcome.
There’s no swagger, hint of arrogance or slightest indication that he’s who he is - one of the most decorated leaders in the history of the American submarine force.
You’ve met an American Hero.
Even now, long after he led the USS Seawolf into told and untold undersea exploits that shaped the outcome of the Cold War, the man everyone calls Charlie has a commanding presence.
He doesn’t act like a commander. Instead, he conveys an aura of calm reassurance, an undersea version of Mr. Rogers, except that his neighborhood of the mid-1970s was within the deep waters of the vast Atlantic and Pacific oceans.