At the annual Veterans Ball, held at American Legion Post 160 in Smyrna, on November 11, 2016,
Al Rowe, a Legionnaire and World War II Veteran, was awarded five medals for his military
service. Al served in the Pacific from 1941-1945. After he left the service, he was unaware of the medals he was entitled to. At that time, the men and women just wanted to get back home.
After a review of his records, Al was to be awarded the US Army Good Conduct Medal, the Service
in China Medal, the Asiatic/Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Defense Medal, and the World
War II Victory Medal. Al was awarded his medals by Mark Munoz, Staff Sergeant, US Marine
Corps Retired. Al will turn 97 in January 2017.
Al enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 at Ft. Bragg, NC. Back then there were 12 million men in the service. There were so many people in the service it was not "special" just expected. A native of Durham NC, he went to training at Ft. Bragg NC and then on to Jackson MS. He stayed in Jackson for 2 months and it rained most of the time. Then he was shipped through the Panama Canal to Aubrook Field and later to Howard Field, which has been carved out of the jungle 500 yards from the Pacific Ocean.
The only five-star general in Air-Force history, Henry H. "Hap" Arnold played a prominent role in the history of Howard AFB and military aviation in Panama. On December 1, 1939, the new air base officially became Howard Field, named after Maj. Charles H. Howard who had been part of his crew of the famed B-10 bombers to Alaska in 1934. Maj. Howard died in a plane crash on October 25, 1936. Construction began shortly thereafter and the first troops arrived on May 15, 1941. Howard Field hosted both fighter and bomber aircraft during the World War II era.
After his tour in the Pacific (Panama), Al came back to the US in 1944 and was assigned to 14th Air Force in the Caribbean - Miami Beach FL at the Convalescent Hospital for all the POWs of the Air Force. He was in charge of leased hotels, mess halls, and other facilities that were part of this "Recreation Place". Some men had lost limbs and were in the Convalescent Hospital. They got their medical records up to date, gave them pay, and new clothes. They would take them to the beach for a week. Buses would carry them to town. They would take them deep sea fishing. This was one the original places for R & R (Rest & Recuperation).
Al was discharged in November 1945 and returned home to Durham NC. His father and uncle had a bakery there but they had to sell the business because they could not get help or ingredients (sugar). Al joined Colonial Stores, a chain of grocery stores throughout the South which later became part of Big Star and Harris Teeter. Al stayed with them for 20 years and retired as a VP in 1982. He then started a consulting business until 1991 when he "really" retired at age 72.
In November 3, 2014, at the age of 94, Lockheed Martin Leadership Association (LMLA) honored Al Rowe with a dinner at Renaissance Waverly Hotel.
On May 27, 2015, Al and his grandson took the "Honor Flight" to Washington D.C. The "Honor Flight" thanks veterans for all their sacrifices by flying these American heroes to Washington, DC to visit and reflect at their memorials. The WW II Memorial was not dedicated until April 2004, nearly sixty years after the end of the war, therefore, there are MANY veterans who have not had the opportunity or the resources to see their country’s tribute to their bravery.
