U.S. Marine Andrew Owens Is County Veteran Of The Month For May
May 11, 2022 at 12:38 a.m.
U.S. Marine Andrew Owens Is County Veteran Of The Month For May
By David [email protected]
Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell and the Kosciusko County Commissioners recognized Andrew J. Owens with the award Tuesday.
Andrew J. Owens, a resident of Kosciusko County since he was 20 years old, was born May 26, 1977, in Vestal, N.Y., to Robert Owens and Charlotte Holley, McDowell said as he read Owens’ biography.
Owens graduated in 1996 from Vestal High School. He enlisted into the United States Marine Corps in June 1996 in Syracuse, N.Y. His basic training was conducted at Parris Island, S.C., followed by Advanced Military Training at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He then departed for additional schooling in Lawton, Okla., and later assigned to Mike Battery 3rd Battalion 11th Marines at 29 Palms, Calif., and in Okinawa, Japan. Some of his duties were to perform maintenance on the M198 Howitzer, prepare ammunition, fire the weapon, and record fire missions and set firing coordinates, “which is not an easy task,” McDowell said.
When he was performing these duties in the field, he also was the battery clerk and the embark NCO for the battery.
While on active-duty, Lance Cpl. (E-3) Owens received awards that included National Defense Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Citation and Overseas Ribbon. He was honorably discharged in May 1999 from the Marine Corps.
Serving his country proudly, Owens returned home to Vestal, N.Y., to work as a security officer until moving to Warsaw, McDowell said.
He is the father of three children, Andrew Jr., Isaiah and Alyson. Owens lives in Winona Lake with his wife, Jennifer, loves to be outdoors and spend time teaching the youth of Warsaw the game of Tiger football as the president of Young Tigers Football and Cheer.
After receiving the framed certificate, Owens said, “I want to thank everybody for this honor. I love this community and I look forward to growing more in this community. Thank you.”
Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell and the Kosciusko County Commissioners recognized Andrew J. Owens with the award Tuesday.
Andrew J. Owens, a resident of Kosciusko County since he was 20 years old, was born May 26, 1977, in Vestal, N.Y., to Robert Owens and Charlotte Holley, McDowell said as he read Owens’ biography.
Owens graduated in 1996 from Vestal High School. He enlisted into the United States Marine Corps in June 1996 in Syracuse, N.Y. His basic training was conducted at Parris Island, S.C., followed by Advanced Military Training at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He then departed for additional schooling in Lawton, Okla., and later assigned to Mike Battery 3rd Battalion 11th Marines at 29 Palms, Calif., and in Okinawa, Japan. Some of his duties were to perform maintenance on the M198 Howitzer, prepare ammunition, fire the weapon, and record fire missions and set firing coordinates, “which is not an easy task,” McDowell said.
When he was performing these duties in the field, he also was the battery clerk and the embark NCO for the battery.
While on active-duty, Lance Cpl. (E-3) Owens received awards that included National Defense Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Citation and Overseas Ribbon. He was honorably discharged in May 1999 from the Marine Corps.
Serving his country proudly, Owens returned home to Vestal, N.Y., to work as a security officer until moving to Warsaw, McDowell said.
He is the father of three children, Andrew Jr., Isaiah and Alyson. Owens lives in Winona Lake with his wife, Jennifer, loves to be outdoors and spend time teaching the youth of Warsaw the game of Tiger football as the president of Young Tigers Football and Cheer.
After receiving the framed certificate, Owens said, “I want to thank everybody for this honor. I love this community and I look forward to growing more in this community. Thank you.”
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