Joined the Marine Corps in 1963. Enrolled in the Marine Corps Air Officer Candidate Program in 1965 and attended the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in 1966 at Quantico, Virginia. Upon graduation he went to Pensacola, Florida where he entered the Naval Flight Training Program and a year and a half later was designated a Naval Aviator and assigned to Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, California as a CH-46 Helicopter Pilot. Had a tour of duty in Vietnam the entire year of 1968. From January 1968 until September, he flew with HMM-262. In September he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment as its Air Liaison Officer. Upon the end of his initial service contract in 1970 he joined HMM-764 as a Marine Reserve Pilot assigned to MCAS El Toro. He served in the Reserve Forces until 1979 and attained the rank of Major.

Mr. Crookall began his commercial real estate career in the mid 1070’s. He started as a real estate loan officer with Union Bank. In 1974 he joined Penta Pacific Properties a boutique industrial real estate firm with offices in Los Angeles and Orange County. In 1977 he and Kim Shirley founded Crookall, Shirley and Company a Commercial Brokerage, Property Management and Development company with offices in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. In 1986 he and his partner sold the Crookall, Shirley and Company Assets and he joined Shaw Properties where he works to this day.

During the 1980’s and into the early 2000’s Shaw Properties developed numerous commercial business parks throughout Southern California. Funding for these projects came from private capital along major Banks like Wells Fargo, Bank of America and City National. Since 2010 Shaw has developed millions of square feet of industrial facilities for the distribution of products from Amazon and other distribution providers. Funding for these projects was arranged by Penwood Real Estate Management headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut.

In 2022 Charlie was asked to become a Trustee on the Flying Leathernecks Historical Foundation where has been working closely with the construction team to build the Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum in the Great Park in Irvine, CA.

Mr. Crookall is widowed with three children and lives in Newport Beach, CA.