Charles W. Hostler
The US Ambassador to the State of Bahrain from 1989-1993 (during the Persian Gulf War), Dr. Hostler also has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Commerce and Director of the Bureau of International Commerce in the Department of Commerce. Currently, he is the honorary Consul General of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a position he has held since 1993.
Hostler graduated from UCLA in January 1942 – just one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor and entered the Army Air Force as an ROTC second lieutenant. His fluency in French and military intelligence training led to an assignment to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, predecessor to the CIA). Hostler was in the X-2 section for Allied counterintelligence and deception operations during the invasion of Europe in World War II. His special counter-espionage unit landed on D-Day, June 6, 1944, in Normandy, France. General Dwight Eisenhower said that the OSS’s covert contributions had been equivalent to having another military division in Europe.
On June 6, 2004, during the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings, French President Jacques Chirac personally presented him with the French Legion of Honor in the presence of 17 heads of state. Hostler has received decorations from nine foreign countries and four religious leaders.
In addition to his UCLA degree, Hostler earned master’s and doctorate degrees in Political Science from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the American University of Beirut. He received three honorary Ph.D.’s, one from the American University of Beirut, one from Columbia College, and the most recent from San Diego State University. Hostler has written four books, including the memoirs Soldier to Ambassador (published by San Diego State University), for which he obtained security clearances from the CIA for certain chapters due to secret and sensitive material regarding his clandestine missions.
Hostler has been a soldier, scholar, businessman, diplomat and philanthropist. His long-time aspiration was achieved in 2007 when his donation of the Charles Hostler Student Center, consisting of 5 buildings, was completed at the American University of Beirut. This Student Center houses an auditorium, recreational facilities, a gym, basketball courts, squash courts, a pool, a track and field area, and a food court. He also donated land as a Children’s Park on Antiparos Island, Greece, and supports SDSU’s Charles Hostler Institute on World Affairs.
After retiring as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Hostler continued to offer distinguished service to the world community. His many civic and educational activities have included: Member, Board of Governors; Middle East Institute; Chairman, Board of Directors, People-to-People International; President, San Diego Consular Corps; Member, International Affairs Board of the City of San Diego; Member (and past Chairman), California State Park and Recreation Commission (1983-1989); Public Member (and twice Chairman), Local Agency Formation Commission of San Diego County (1979-1989); Public Member (and past Chairman), California Contractors State License Board.