Recalled to Duty

Written by: Kelly Durham

Like so many young men who came of age during the 1940s, Edward Manigault Mowry, Jr. answered his country’s call to duty.  Mowry, a member of Clemson’s Class of 1944, volunteered for the Marine Corps, applied for and completed flight training, and became a fighter pilot. 

 Mowry, from Orangeburg, arrived on campus before World War II reached the United States.  He left Clemson in 1942 after his sophomore year to join the Marines. 

 Mowry served in the Pacific as a fighter pilot, and when the war ended, he was stationed in Japan as part of the Occupation Forces.  After the war, Mowry returned to Orangeburg and worked for a time as the sports editor for the Times and Democrat newspaper.  He later took a job with the Orangeburg post office.  All the while, Mowry retained his commission in the Marine Corps Reserve. 

 The Marine Corps established the Marine Air Reserve Training Command to preserve the skills of Marine pilots returning to civilian life after the war.  When the Korean War erupted in June 1950, the Marine Air Reserve was able to respond quickly.  Within two weeks, three reserve fighter squadrons were on duty in Korea.  Within seven weeks, the Marine fighter squadron strength in Korea was up to six.  With combat operations underway, the need for experienced pilots grew, and Edward Mowry was recalled to active duty. 

 First Lieutenant Mowry reported to the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, North Carolina, in June 1951.  On July 20, he and Captain John Thompson were the crew of a Marine Corps plane that crashed at Hobucken, on Pamlico Sound, about thirty miles northeast of Cherry Point. 

 Mowry, who answered his country’s call not once but twice, was survived by his parents, two sisters, and a brother.  He is buried in Orangeburg’s Sunnyside Cemetery. 

For more information on First Lieutenant Edward Manigault Mowry, Jr., see: 

https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/scroll/edward-manigault-mowry-jr/  

 For additional information about Clemson University’s Scroll of Honor, visit: 

 https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/