Frank Sayles Bowen Jr. (March 4, 1905 – September 24, 1976) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

who served as commander of the

187th Airborne Infantry Regiment The 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment (Rakkasans) is a regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. , the 1st and 3rd battalions are the only active elements of the regiment; they are assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Divisi ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Early life and education

Bowen was born in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, Philippines, to Mildred A. Bowen and Frank S. Bowen.

Military career

Bowen attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

at West Point, graduating in 1926. From mid-1939 to mid-1947, his career tracked that of his mentor

Robert L. Eichelberger Robert Lawrence Eichelberger (9 March 1886 – 26 September 1961) was a general officer in the United States Army who commanded the Eighth United States Army in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, Southwest Pacific Area during Wo ...

. He served under Eichelberger in the 30th Infantry Regiment and, in 1940, he served as aide-de‐camp to Eichelberger while the latter was superintendent of West Point. With the United States entry into World War II, Eichelberger took command of the

77th Infantry Division 77th Division or 75th Infantry Division may refer to: *77th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), Germany *77th Infantry Division of Khurasan, Iran *77th Division (Imperial Japanese Army) *77th Division (People's Republic of China) *77th Division (Spain ...

with Bowen as his Personnel Officer (G-1). Eichelberger soon took command of

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

with Bowen serving as assistant Operation Officer and then Operations Officer (G-3). Colonel Bowen would receive his first

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

for his actions on 12 December 1942 during the

Battle of Buna–Gona The battle of Buna–Gona was part of the New Guinea campaign in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. It followed the conclusion of the Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was fought by ...

. In August 1944, Eichelberger was given command of the newly formed

Eighth United States Army The Eighth Army is a U.S. field army which is the commanding formation of all United States Army United States Forces Korea, forces in South Korea. It commands U.S. and South Korean units and is headquartered at the Camp Humphreys,

and Bowen joined him as G-3. Bowen served as commander of the

and led the unit in the

Battle of Yongju The Battle of Yongyu (), also known as the Battle of the Apple Orchard or the Battle of Yongju to the Australians who fought in it, took place between 21 and 22 October 1950 during the United Nations Command (UNC) UN offensive into North Korea, ...

Operation Tomahawk Operation Tomahawk was an airborne military operation by the 187th Regimental Combat Team (187th RCT) on 23 March 1951 at Munsan-ni as part of Operation Courageous in the Korean War. Operation Courageous was designed to trap large numbers of Chine ...

and

Operation Courageous Operation Courageous was a military operation performed by the United Nations Command (UN) during the Korean War designed to trap large numbers of Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) and Korean People's Army (KPA) troops between the Han and Imj ...

during the

. He served as commander of the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

in 1955 and, that August, he became commander of Fort Jackson and remained in command of the base until August 1956. In September 1956 he became head of Military Assistance Advisory Group China in Taiwan and remained in that post until July 1958. Bowen retired from the army in 1964. He died at Moncrief Army Hospital,

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

on 24 September 1976.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Frank S. 1905 births 1976 deaths United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals of World War II American people in the American Philippines