A former U.S. lawmaker who played a key role in the ouster of Soviet forces from Afghanistan has died.

Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson helped funnel millions of dollars to fund Afghan fighters during the 1980s. 

He was known around Washington as "Good Time Charlie" for his love of drinks and women, and his life story became a Hollywood movie starring famed actor Tom Hanks.

The 2007 film "Charlie Wilson's War" introduced a new generation to the exploits of Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson and his role in shaping the future of Afghanistan.

Wilson was a member of the Appropriations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, and used his position to help buy Afghan fighters weapons, including Stinger missiles, that inflicted heavy damage on Soviet gunships.

In 2008, Wilson talked to VOA about why he decided to take action. Wilson said he was looking down on a refugee camp from a hillside: "I got involved in Afghanistan because I went there and I saw what the Soviets were doing," Wilson said. "And I saw the refugee camps."

M.J. Gohel, an expert on South Asia and executive director of the London-based Asia Pacific Foundation, says Wilson's efforts changed the region and the world. "Wilson has to be given the credit for delivering a major defeat to the Soviet Union at a time when the Soviet Union was a threat to the free world," Gohel said.

Gohel says what no one could have predicted at the time was how Wilson's support for Afghanistan's mujahedeen would encourage Muslims from around the world to rally to their cause or what would come as a result. "This led to a threat, a new kind of threat, to the West and of course the events that eventually ended with 9-11 [the terror attacks of September 11, 2001] and the other acts of terrorism we have seen since then," Gohel stated.

Wilson said that one of his regrets was that he was not able to get more funding for schools, hospitals and roads in Afghanistan once the Soviets finally left.  Still, he remained optimistic. "I would just tell the Afghan people that I still love them," he said. "And that I hope that somehow we find a way to achieve a military tranquility."

Wilson died Wednesday from a heart attack in his home state of Texas.  He was 76.

前美國國會(huì)議員誰發(fā)揮了來自阿富汗的蘇聯(lián)軍隊(duì)推翻的關(guān)鍵作用已經(jīng)死亡。

得克薩斯州國會(huì)議員查理威爾遜漏斗幫助數(shù)百萬美元的資金在80年代的阿富汗戰(zhàn)士。

他被稱為華盛頓周圍的“好時(shí)光查理”，他的飲料和女人的愛，他的人生故事，成為好萊塢的電影主演的著名影星湯姆漢克斯。

2007年的影片“查理威爾遜的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)”推出了新一代的得克薩斯州國會(huì)議員查理威爾遜和他在塑造阿富汗的未來作用的攻擊。

威爾遜是在美國國會(huì)眾議院撥款委員會(huì)成員，并利用職務(wù)之便，幫助阿富汗戰(zhàn)士購買武器，包括毒刺導(dǎo)彈，即在蘇聯(lián)武裝直升機(jī)造成嚴(yán)重破壞。

2008年，威爾遜交談美國之音為什么他決定采取行動(dòng)。威爾遜說，他期待在一個(gè)山坡上，從難民營(yíng)下來：“我參與了在阿富汗，因?yàn)槲胰ツ抢铮铱吹搅颂K聯(lián)在做，”威爾遜說。 “我看到的難民營(yíng)。”

兆焦耳，對(duì)南亞和倫敦執(zhí)行主任的專家Gohel的亞太基金會(huì)說，威爾遜的努力，改變了地區(qū)和世界的。 “威爾遜應(yīng)給予交付一次重大挫敗蘇聯(lián)的信貸時(shí)，蘇聯(lián)是對(duì)自由世界的威脅，”Gohel說。

Gohel說什么沒有人能夠預(yù)測(cè)的時(shí)間是怎樣威爾遜對(duì)阿富汗的圣戰(zhàn)者的支持，鼓勵(lì)來自世界各地的穆斯林集會(huì)，他們的事業(yè)或?qū)硎裁唇Y(jié)果。 “這導(dǎo)致了威脅，一種新的威脅，西方，當(dāng)然還有最終以9-11結(jié)束[事件9月11日的恐怖襲擊，2001]和恐怖主義自那時(shí)以來，我們看到的其他行為， “Gohel說。

威爾遜說，他感到遺憾之一是，他沒能獲得更多的資金用于學(xué)校，醫(yī)院和道路，一旦在阿富汗的蘇聯(lián)最終離開。盡管如此，他仍然持樂觀態(tài)度。 “我只想告訴我仍然愛他們的阿富汗人民，”他說。 “而且，我希望我們總是覺得來實(shí)現(xiàn)軍事寧靜。”

威爾遜從1月30日死于在他的家鄉(xiāng)得克薩斯州的心臟病發(fā)作。享年76歲。