"I felt a call to my country first of all. Well, not first of all. First, I think you might say, I felt God leading me in that direction." (Video Interview, 14:48)

Curtis R. Bowers

Curtis Bowers [2009] War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Army Unit: 101st Airborne Division Service Location: Korea; Japan; Germany; Vietnam Rank: Colonel Place of Birth: PA

After a two-year stint in the early 1950s as an enlisted man, Curtis Bowers became an Army chaplain in 1961. Attached to the 101st Airborne, he served a harrowing tour of duty in Vietnam in the mid 1960s, standing by his men in battle, tending to the dying, writing condolence letters to families. He even won a Silver Star for his bravery in trying to rescue men under fire. For Bowers in Vietnam, "Sunday was not Sunday." He held services any day or the week, any time there was a lull in the action.