The recipient of the 2023 Veteran of the Year Award for Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District is Chief Warrant Officer Four Charles H. Talley Jr.
Talley, a direct victim and survivor of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, deployed to Afghanistan afterward. He served the majority of his adult life in the armed forces, and rose through the ranks before his retirement in 2018 as a Chief Warrant Officer Four. He now uses his specialized skills and years of experience in the U.S. Army and as an American Culinary Federation Certified Executive Chef to serve as the Quality Assurance Manager for the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence at Fort Gregg-Adams, formerly known as Fort Lee, in Petersburg.
He works to assess and improve the food for the entire U.S. Army in the battlefield environment. As president of the Nu Omicron Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., he organizes service events in Petersburg and the surrounding areas. He also devotes his time to lecture Warrant Officers every year and young aspiring professionals at Virginia State University, one of Virginia’s esteemed HBCUs, and is a husband and father of three children.
“This Veteran’s Day, I am honored to recognize Chief Warrant Officer Four Charles H. Talley, Jr. as the Veteran of the Year for Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District,” Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, who represents District 4, said. “Mr. Talley dedicated 34 years of his life to the United States Army and continues to give back to Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District. Mr. Talley represents the very best of our nation and selflessly supports aspiring young professionals, active-duty servicemembers, and vulnerable Virginians in our community. I had the pleasure to personally commend him on his accomplished career and thank him for his countless years of service to Virginia’s Fourth, our Commonwealth, and the country. Chief Warrant Officer Four Talley embodies a life of service and is incredibly deserving of this recognition.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
