On April 21, 2023, just days before his 100th birthday, Wilburn Rowden, who was born in Maries County Missouri, but currently lives in Jefferson City, was honored by the staff at Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital with a party. As he entered the medical center’s Auditorium, more than 70 employees in attendance gave Mr. Rowden a standing ovation, cheering as he made his way to the front of the room. Once seated, 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 into the U.S. Army Air Corps in January of 1943, Mr. 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.
By late January 1944, Mr. Rowden was stationed in England, serving as a radioman on the B-17 “Sleepy Time Gal.” To prepare for each mission, he and his 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 equipment such as machine guns, ammunition, oxygen masks, and parachutes.
“Invariably, when we drew our parachute, we were told to bring it back if it didn’t work and draw another one,” Mr. Rowden joked.
Sleepy Time Gal’s first mission was a German rocket launch site in northern France. Although they were told during the briefing that 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 Mr. Rowden and his crew took off for their sixth mission on March 8, 1944, they had completed raids over France, Poland, and Germany. However, this time they were headed for what Mr. Rowden referred to as “Big B,” and with good reason. At that time, Berlin was the most heavily defended city in Europe.
“We didn’t make it to Berlin,” Mr. Rowden said. “In the vicinity of Hanover, German ME-109 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.”
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 crewman on a B-17. Each had a parachute and every plane carried one extra. However, two parachutes were damaged in the fire, leaving the crew one short.
“MacDonald, our pilot, came on the intercom and told the navigator to come get his chute and for all of us to jump,” Mr. Rowden said. “The navigator protested but MacDonald informed him that 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, Mr. Rowden had been wounded in the arms and legs. Because he couldn’t walk, there was no way to evade capture, and German military personnel from the Luftwaffe were on him almost immediately. For the next 14 months, he was POW 2874.
Mr. Rowden received initial care for his wounds shortly after his capture. However, it was a few days later on his way to a hospital that he briefly 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, Mr. Rowden was subjected to poor living conditions and inadequate nutrition. Sometimes, but not often, the prisoners received Red Cross food parcels to augment their near starvation diet. Over time, their stomachs shrank and once released from captivity, they had to gradually recondition their bodies to digest adequate amounts of food again.
As the Allied Forces entered Germany, the POWs were forced to march hundreds of miles deeper into enemy territory to prevent them from being liberated. For most of the last three months he was a POW, Mr. Rowden was forced to march more than 400 miles. At one point, he received a bayonet wound on his right calf for not moving fast enough.
On April 26, 1945, just days before Germany surrendered, Mr. Rowden and his fellow POWs were turned over to American soldiers from the 104th Division. His war was over.
After returning to Missouri and reuniting with his family, Mr. Rowden married his girlfriend, had three daughters, and spent more than 30 years in the Missouri National Guard. In total, he served this nation for more than 38 years in uniform.
In 1999, Mr. Rowden wrote, “I, a backwoods country boy, saw a lot of the world and have obtained a great deal of experience. Looking back, I can say that I am proud to have served my country.”
Thank you, Mr. Rowden, for the immeasurable sacrifices you made to preserve our freedoms. All of us at Truman VA feel it was an honor to celebrate such a special day with you.
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