United States Representative Charlie Wilson dies at 76

February 12, 2010

, a former United States naval officer and twelve-term Representative from the  in Texas, died on Wednesday in Lufkin, Texas. He was 76 with a history of heart ailments, receiving a transplant in 2007.

Memorial Medical Center, Lufkin said the preliminary cause of death was. Jack Gorden Jr., the mayor of Lufkin, confirmed the death.

He was best known for initiating, the largest CIA , which supplied military equipment, anti-aircraft missiles, and paramilitary officers to the during the. His campaign was the subject of the non-fiction book Charlie Wilson's War and the film ''.

U.S. Defense Secretary said Wilson's "efforts and exploits helped repel an invader, liberate a people, and bring the Cold War to a close. [...] After the Soviets left, Charlie kept fighting for the Afghan people and warned against abandoning that traumatized country to its fate — a warning we should have heeded then, and should remember today".

Born in, Texas, Wilson graduated from Trinity High School in 1951. While a student at, he was appointed to the. Between 1956 and 1960, Wilson served in the, attaining the rank of lieutenant. After four years as a surface fleet officer, he was assigned to as part of an intelligence unit that evaluated the 's nuclear capabilities.