He joined the army at sixteen because he wanted to help out his family; what he received in return was training to not only fight physical wars, but also spiritual wars against the enemy. Author Charlie Williams describes his life story in his new testimony, A Soldier's Story: born and raised in Miami, his mother raised her children singlehandedly until he joined the army at sixteen. While in the army, he experienced racism as a black soldier, but still continued his service and later joining the Army Reserve. Battling anger issues and uncertain about the future, Charlie began encountering signs from God and even spoke in tongues after being saved. He felt called to preach soon after and obeyed the Lord's promptings to do mission work in Key West and be a church overseer for several Miamibased churches. He also survived accidents and illness: all credited as miracles from God.