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| John Hall Owings Jr, graduating from the Charlotte Hall Military Acadamy |
John Hall Owings Jr, left his landscaping business, in which he was partnered with his father, and voluntarily enlisted in the US Army, Corps of Engineers, on June 21, 1941. He knew that war was inevitable, and felt that he would have a better chance of choosing his own position, if he joined prior to the draft.
He was stationed with the 14th Air Bomber Group, 93rd Squadron, at Clark Field, in the Philippines, just one week before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
He fought in the Battle of Bataan, and was taken as a prisoner of war. He was forced to undergo the infamous and tragic "Death March of Bataan", but survived the ordeal, only to die of malaria and dysentery, at Camp O'Donnell.
For four years, the government reported him, first as "missing in action", and then as "presumed dead". After the American victories in the Philippines, and the liberation of the POW camp, it was discovered that he had died on May 26, 1942.
At the end of the war, his body was returned home, and was buried at the Baltimore National Cemetery, on April 27, 1949.
He was, posthumously, awarded the Purple Heart, and Presidential Citation.
He was my Great Uncle, for whom I have much pride, and a deep respect.
Wikipedia-Battle of Bataan
Wikipedia-Bataan Death March
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