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name
OWENS, Fred Albert - Date of
birth
1 January 1918 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
Washington, Gibson County, Indiana -
Hometown
Gibson County, Indiana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O1295075 -
Rank
Captain -
Function
Company Commander -
Unit
Service Company,
501st Parachute Infantry Regiment,
101st Airborne Division
-
Awards
Silver Star,
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
2 January 1945 - Place of
death
Near Bastogne, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Luxembourg
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| H | 10 | 39 |
Immediate family
-
Members
James E. Owens (father)
Bertha (Manning) Owens (mother)
Roy Owens (brother)
Heloise Owens (sister)
Edythe Owens (sister)
Emery Owens (brother)
Sara A. Owens (wife)
More information
Capt Owens was reported wounded in action on D-Day on 6 June 1944.He was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his action on 7 June 1944. The citation cited: Capt Owens, while his unit was in a defensive position near vital canal locks, took a machine gun and three volunteers to meet and halt enemy troops which were observed crossing open ground toward the concealment of a woods. Capt Owens, standing erect in full view, sprayed the trees with machine gun fire holding the weapon in his hand. The gun jammed twice and the shortage of ammunition forced the group to withdraw. By skillful displacement with only 30 rounds of ammunition, Capt Owens and his group were able to draw the enemy forward until they came in range of the fortified positions on the defensive line and, shortly afterward, the enemy, a battalion in strength, surrendered.
He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery of Grand Failly, France.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record, http://www.ww2-airborne.us, Princeton High School, 1946, Princeton Daily Caller - 01 December 1945
Photo source:www.findagrave.com – Luxembourg American Cemetery, Princeton High School, 1946, Princeton Daily Caller - 1 December 1945