Sgt. O. Owens, West Liberty, Missing; Brother Prisoner
West Liberty—Technical Sergeant Orian G. Owens, of West Liberty, son of George H. Owens, of Lisbon, Ia., has been reported missing in action since Jan. 11, 1944, following a raid over Germany, according to official word received by his father. Sgt. Owens was serving as an engineer on a U. S. bomber.
Sgt. Owens has been in the service since August, 1942, when he left here with a Muscatine county contingent. He has been overseas since September, 1943.
A brother of Sgt. Owens, Harold Owens, has been reported a prisoner of war since March, 1943, and he has two other brothers, Lawrence Owens of Iowa City and Gaylord Owens, of Lone Tree.
Source: Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune, January 28, 1944
LIST OF MISSING IN ACTION GREW IN 1944
Among those from this area who have been listed as missing in action in official dispatches to next of kin, and upon casualty lists of the armed services, are:
TECH. SGT. ORIAN G. OWENS—Son of George H. Owens, of Lisbon, Ia, Tech. Sgt. Orian G. Owens, of West Liberty, was reported missing in action since Jan. 11, 1944, in a raid over Germany. He was serving as an engineer on a U. S. bomber and had been in the service since August of 1942.
Source: Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune, Friday, December 29, 1944
Solemn Procession Continues Through 1948 as War Dead Are Returned Home
Flag-draped caskets, coming from the European and Pacific war theaters, were brought to Muscatine county and other neighboring communities at intervals throughout the year of 1948 as the solemn procession of the country’s war dead continued to move home.
As each casket carrying a soldier, sailor, marine or flier who died during World War II was returned, last honors were accorded to the servicemen at funeral and burial rites. Final interment was in the cemetery chosen by his next-of-kin.
This year was the second for the government’s program of returning the bodies of war dead to the United States for burial in keeping with the wishes of their family. Inaugurated in the fall of 1947, the program has to date seen the return from overseas cemeteries of more than 50 bodies of men from this vicinity who died in the service of their country during the war.
The list of war dead returned to Muscatine and surrounding counties includes the following:
Tech. Sgt. Orian G. Owens, of West Liberty, son of George H. Owens of Lisbon, killed in Belgium during the war. Burial was at Lisbon.
Source: The Muscatine Journal, December 30, 1948
Orian George Owens was born Jan. 22, 1915 to George H. and Myra A. Fidler Owens. He died Apr. 22, 1944 and is buried in Lisbon Cemetery, Lisbon, IA.
Sgt. Owens served in World War II with the U.S. Army Air Corps and was MIA over Germany. He landed safely after his plane was shot down and was assisted by the Belgian underground in the vicinity of Chimay and St. Remy, Belgium to avoid capture. With several other Americans he was hidden in a house in the woods near Chimay waiting for transportation to England. This camp was raided by the Germans and the American soldier were captured. After being interrogated they were shot on the same day.
Source: ancestry.com
