Bill Bower
Bill Bower | |
|---|---|
Dobbins Air Force Base | |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal Air Medals (2) |
William Marsh Bower (February 13, 1917 – January 10, 2011) was an American
Biography
A native of Ravenna, Ohio, Bower graduated from Ravenna High School in 1934.[1] He attended Hiram College and Kent State University from 1934 until 1936.[2][3] Bower then joined the Ohio National Guard's 107th Cavalry, based in Ravenna, from 1936 to 1938.[1][2]
In 1940, Bower graduated from the U.S. Army Air Corps Flying School and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the
In the months following the
Bower and his five-member crew bombed the city of Yokohama during the raid.[1] They parachuted out of their B-25 over China during the night, which was his first jump from an airplane.[1] They were taken in by Chinese villagers until rescue by the Americans.[3] His mother, Kathryn Bower, was informed by Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle that Bower had survived the attack approximately one month later.[1] Eleven members of the Doolittle Raid were killed or captured.[2] Bower and the other crew members were brought from China back to United States.[2]
In June 1942, Bower and twenty-two other participants in the Doolittle Raid received the Distinguished Flying Cross during a reception held at the White House.[1] The city of Ravenna declared July 3, 1942, as "Bill Bower Day."[1] Bower married his wife, Lorraine (nee) Amman, in the lobby of the Lady Lafayette Hotel in Walterboro, South Carolina, on August 18, 1942.[2] The couple had two sons and two daughters during their marriage.
Bower remained in the
He moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1966 with his wife and their four children.[1] He lived in south Boulder, in the upper Table Mesa neighborhood, until his death on January 10, 2011, at the age of 93, after [1] suffering from complications from a fall in June 2009.[3] He was survived by two sons, two daughters and six grandchildren. His wife, Lorraine, predeceased him in 2004.[1][2] He and his wife Lorraine are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Colonel William Marsh Bower Center opened in the Portage County Regional Airport in Shalersville Township, north of Ravenna, in June 2013.[4][5]
Bill Bower Park, a 1.7 acre green space with playground equipment and located in Bower's south Boulder neighborhood, was opened by the city in fall 2014.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Ravenna WWII hero Colonel Bill Bower, 'Doolittle Raider,' dies". Record-Courier. 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Col. William Marsh "Bill" Bower February 13, 1917 – January 10, 2011". Daily Camera. 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ a b c d e f Rees Shapiro, T. (2011-01-15). "Bill Bower, last surviving bomber pilot of WWII Doolittle Raid, dies at 93". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ "Event Schedule". Colonel William Marsh Bower Center. 2012-12-10. Archived from the original on 2013-06-12. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ Sever, Mike (2013-02-19). "Famous Ravenna Man to Be Honored in June". Record-Courier. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ "City of Boulder Government web page". bouldercolorado.gov.