Lt. Howard Owens - Denton, TX
N 33° 14.476 W 097° 04.848
14S E 678807 N 3679675
A cenotaph in historic Cooper Creek Cemetery, Denton, TX, is a memorial to Lt. Howard Owens, who was killed in action in Italy during World War II.
Waymark Code: WM12CHA
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/27/2020
Views: 3
His full name was Laurence Howard Owens but he went by "Howard". His cenotaph is a rectangular-shaped slab of gray granite, standing next to the final resting places of his parents, Elmer and Elma Owens, and it reads:
In Memory of
Lt. Howard Owens
Born Dec. 4, 1921
Killed in Action in Italy
Sept. 8, 1943
Information on him is a bit elusive, but Doug Cook has a website (see below) devoted to the United States military, and he has some good reading about what happened to Lt. Owens and his comrades. He was the navigator aboard B-17 42-5147, a.k.a. "Old Ironsides", and on September 8, 1943, they were flying a mission against an Axis headquarters at Frascati. Reports aren't clear as to exactly why the plane went down: The United States indicated that it encountered anti-aircraft artillery and fighters, losing a wing and breaking apart before crashing, while one Italian pilot claimed to have shot it down. Perhaps he simply finished the job, but six crew members died and the other four were taken prisoner. Four of the dead were returned to the United States in 1949, and they are buried together in Section 82, Site 241 at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.
Property Permission: Public
Access instructions: Cemetery is open to public, but please visit during daylight hours
Website for Waymark: [Web Link]
Location of waymark: Cooper Creek Cemetery Cooper Creek and Fishtrap Roads Denton, TX USA 76208
Commemoration: Lt. Howard Owens
Date of Dedication: Not listed
Access times: Not listed
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