Charles Lindsay was a part of the USMC Fleet Marine Force Bomb Disposal Unit. The idea for the unit was developed during the Battle of Britain, when unexploded bombs would land, potentially causing serious injuries to civilians. In response to this issue, a group of engineers were formed to locate these bombs, remove the fuses, and transport them to laboratories for further study. Lindsay was chosen for this unit based on his mechanical aptitude and high intelligence scores. He was trained at the American University in Washington, D.C. for six weeks.

Born in Atlanta, GA Charles S. Lindsay was educated at the Georgia Institute before he moved to Knoxville after the death of his mother. In Knoxville, he earned his degree in architecture from the University of Tennessee. He entered the Marine Corps at the age of 24 and was quickly promoted to second lieutenant as a bomb disposal officer within 10 weeks. Lindsay was under the direct command of the Fleet Marine Force and was assigned the duty of diffusing bombs and other projectiles as well as photographing enemy ordnance. His specialty was demolition. In 1945 he was sent to Okinawa in the third assault wave, where he traveled ahead of the 22nd Marines in order to disarm explosives along the route. He remained in Japan throughout the Battle of Okinawa.