Charles William Tatum (23 July 1926 – 22 June 2014) was an American World War II veteran, Bronze Star recipient, race car driver and builder. On 19 February 1945, he was among the first wave of marines to land on the Japanese island stronghold of Iwo Jima. He was a friend of John Basilone. Tatum's war memoir, Red Blood, Black Sand, was one of five books used as source material for the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced HBO miniseries The Pacific. Tatum is portrayed in the series by actor Ben Esler.