Charles Jansen was born and raised in Fort Gratiot, Michigan. He married Aneta in August, 1975 and has two grown children and several grandchildren. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1975, was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1985 and retired with a rank of Captain in 1995. He served as a Flight Test Engineer and a Space Systems Network Analyst. He holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado and a Masters degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. After retiring from the Air Force and returning to Michigan in 1996 he worked as a Quality Manager in the automotive industry until 2001 and currently works in the mortgage/real estate industry.