A Tribute:  SSG Hammett Bowen, Jr - Medal of Honor

 

The following article was published in Tropic Lightning Flashes, Vol. 63, No. 4, Winter 2013, a quarterly publication of the 25th Infantry Division.

Child Development Center Re-memorialization Honors Vietnam MOH Hero
Story and photos by Sarah Pacheco US. Army Garrison-Hawaii Public Affairs
 

Master Sgt. (P) William Bullard (left), Command Sergeant Major, Rear Detachment, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Inf. Division, and Capt. Ben Hart, Commander, Rear Detach., 1st Bn., 14th Inf. Regt., 2nd SBCT, 25th ID, unveil the plaque dedicated to Staff Sgt. Hammett Bowen Jr during the Bowen Child Development Center Re-memorialization Ceremony

   SCHOFIELD BARRACKS  Set against the picturesque backdrop of the forested Waianae Mountains, swathed in shadows cast by the mid-morning sun, a re-memorialization ceremony for the Bowen Child Development Center took place here, Nov. 8.
   "It's altogether fitting that we memorialize this new center in the memory of Staff Sgt. Bowen," said Col. Daniel Whitney, commander, U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii, in his opening remarks to an audience that included Army Hawaii leadership, Soldiers, civilians and combat veterans.
   "His extraordinary courage and concern for his men at the cost of his life served as an inspiration to his comrades," Whitney continued, "and are in the highest traditions of the military service and the U.S. Army."
   Bowen was born in LaGrange, Georgia, in 1949, and spent his teenage years in Ocala, Fla., before joining the Army in February 1968.  By November of that year, he had graduated from the Infantry Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course and successfully completed the Airborne Course.
   In March 1969, Bowen arrived in Vietnam, assigned to the 14th Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.  Then, on June 27, he and his platoon were caught in an enemy ambush.

Talauni Borja-Johnson presents cards to veterans as a thank-you for their service during the Bowen CDC Re-memorialization Ceremony.

   Bowen reacted quickly, ordering his men to back out of the area and for others to lay down fire to protect their withdrawal.  But when a hand grenade landed near Bowen and three of his men, the young sergeant threw himself on the grenade while still firing his weapon.  Even after the explosion, he commanded his men to continue their withdrawal.
   "His men were safe but he was not," said sister-in-law Dee Bowen in a letter read by Jack Wiers, master of ceremonies.  "That is the day that all of us - his family, his friends, his men - lost a wonderful friend, brother and son."
   "We marvel at the selfless sacrifice to protect others at the cost of one's own precious life," Whitney said.  "Staff Sgt. Bowen paid the ultimate sacrifice.  He was 21 years old."
   The Medal of Honor was approved posthumously to Bowen in March 1970 and presented by then Vice President Gerald Ford to the Bowen family on July 17, 1974.
   Schofield Barracks' Bowen Park was dedicated in July 1989 with a memorial plaque built by the 84th Engineer Battalion in his honor.  However, construction of new facilities necessitated the removal of the park in early 2012.
   In December 2011, the Department of the Army approved the re-memorialization and relocation of the Bowen name and plaque to the $12 million Bowen CDC, which was completed in June 2011 and opened its doors Oct. 17 that same year.
   "It was very important for us not to forget who that park was named for; a Medal of Honor recipient, a member of the 25th ID in Vietnam and an American hero," Whitney said.
   The Bowen CDC is the third child development center on Schofield Barracks and has the capacity to care for 126 children at one time.  Together with the Danny J. Petersen CDC and Thomas W. Bennett Youth Center, both also named for Vietnam Medal of Honor recipients, the Bowen CDC delivers on the Army Family Covenant's promise to ensure excellence in schools, youth services and child care, said Whitney.
   The newly anointed facility also serves as a constant reminder of the immense sacrifice made by service members, such as Bowen, and the immeasurable debt owed to them.


A Tribute:  SSG Hammett Bowen, Jr - Medal of Honor Recipient
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Last modified: September 10, 2013