Truman VA celebrates World War II Veteran’s 100th birthday

Days before his 100th birthday, Wilburn Rowden was honored by the staff at Harry S. Truman VA with a party. As he entered the auditorium, more than 70 employees gave Rowden a standing ovation, cheering as he made his way to the front of the room.

The World War II Veteran, former prisoner of war (POW) and Purple Heart recipient was asked to share his amazing story of courage, devotion and perseverance.

At the time of his induction in the Army Air Corps in 1943, Rowden described himself as “a 19-year-old backwoods lad with a high school diploma.” After successfully completing basic training and radio operator school, he became a crewman on a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.

In January 1944, he was stationed in England serving as a radioman on the B-17 “Sleepy Time Gal.” He and the crew woke by 4 a.m., had breakfast and then received a briefing in the Operations Hut. Afterward, they would go to supply where they drew machine guns, ammunition, oxygen masks and parachutes.

Flak was heavy and accurate

Sleepy Time Gal’s first mission was to a German rocket launch site in northern France. Although they were told they should expect moderate flak and fighters, the antiaircraft fire was very heavy and accurate. After completing the mission, they returned with a half dozen holes in their plane.

By the time Rowden and the crew took off for their sixth mission in March 1944, they had completed raids over France, Poland and Germany. This time they were headed for what he refers to as “Big B,” and with good reason: Berlin was the most heavily defended city in Europe.

“We didn’t make it to Berlin,” he said. “Near Hanover, German fighters hit us and damaged our aircraft. During the first attack, they hit our No. 2 engine and set us on fire. We dropped out of formation to feather the engine and were hit again. This time the No. 3 engine was knocked out. The radio room and nose were shot up and we were on fire.”

Ten crewmen, nine parachutes

Realizing the crew had few options, the pilot instructed everyone to bail out. But there was an even bigger problem than the damage to the aircraft. There were 10 crewmen on a B-17. Each had a parachute and every plane carried one extra. But two parachutes were damaged in the fire leaving the crew one short.

“Our pilot MacDonald came on the intercom and told the navigator to come get his chute and for all of us to jump. The navigator protested but MacDonald said he was in command and he was the only one who had a chance to crash-land the plane. So, everyone except the pilot jumped.”

Although he landed safely, Rowden had been wounded in the arms and legs. He couldn’t walk, and there was no way to evade capture. German soldiers were on him almost immediately. For the next 14 months, he was POW 2874.

He received initial care for his wounds shortly after his capture. A few days later on his way to a hospital, he saw several of his fellow crewman in a train station. Among them was his pilot who had successfully crash-landed their plane.

As a POW, Rowden was subjected to poor living conditions and inadequate nutrition. Sometimes the prisoners received Red Cross food parcels to augment their near starvation diet. Their stomachs shrank and, once released from captivity, they had to gradually recondition their bodies to digest food again.

“I am proud to have served my country.”

As the Allied Forces entered Germany, the POWs were forced to march deeper into enemy territory to prevent them from being liberated. For most of the last three months he was a POW, Rowden was forced to march more than 400 miles. He received a bayonet wound on his right calf for not moving fast enough.

On April 26, 1945, just days before Germany surrendered, he and his fellow POWs were turned over to American soldiers from the 104^th Division. His war was over.

After returning to Missouri and reuniting with his family, Rowden married his girlfriend, had three daughters and spent more than 30 years in the Missouri National Guard. He served America for more than 38 years in uniform.

“I saw a lot of the world and obtained a great deal of experience. I am proud to have served my country,” he said.