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Gregory Owens—August 2010 Shipment Honoree
My name is Gregory Owens Sr.
Yesterday I found the 2 stories on your website LHCP about our son
and was overwhelmed.
First, to see that someone was still thinking of him after a year
of his death. Second, that you honored him in August. Gregory was born
on 22 Aug xx while I was station in
Baumholder, West Germany. Now what makes this so remarkable he
was born in Landsthul Hospital. So we want to thank you all for this
special 26th Birthday present. We watch and look at all the stories of
the soldiers, airman, marines and sailors that make it back to
Landstuhl and wish Gregory could have made it back there. But now
thanks to you all he did. I'll send you some photos of him and
the 3 soldiers that were killed with him. Killed in
Afghanistan on 2o July 2009.
The Owens Family
Greg Sr.,LaDonna, Shelena, (Greg Jr.). Lamar and Jonathan
Thank you all so much
Following dad’s
footsteps by joining military
The Associated Press
Gregory Owens
Jr. had an attitude of thinking of others first. When his sister had her
appendix removed one summer, he kept her company for an entire week.
And instead of
taking his scheduled leave from duty in Afghanistan in July, he swapped
shifts with another soldier so that he’d be home in mid-October as a
surprise for his father’s 50th birthday.
Owens, 24, of
Garland, Texas, died July 20 in Wardak province, Afghanistan when his
vehicle was hit with a roadside bomb and enemy fire. He was based in
Fort Drum, N.Y.
“He always put
others before himself,” said his mother, LaDonna. “He made time to
spend with other people and to listen to them.”
He was born in
Germany during his father’s military service and had followed in those
footsteps by joining the Army in 2007. He had graduated with honors in
2002 from Hillcrest High School, where he kept a full schedule but still
managed to find time to roughhouse with his younger brothers and play
sports with them.
“He did
everything to keep my mom busy 24/7: band, Boy Scouts, church,” said his
sister, Shelena.
Owens is
survived by his parents, sister and younger brothers, Lamar and
Jonathan.
Awards and Decorations
Sgt Owens’
awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal., National
Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star,
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon
U.S. Sergeant
Gregory Owens (L) and Private Dennis Pratt are seen during a patrol in a
village of Hajian in mountains of Wardak Province in Afghanistan in this
July 15, 2009 file photo. Owens and Pratt died July 20, 2009 in Wardak
when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle
followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and
rocket-propelled grenade fires, a U.S. Defense Department statement
says. Reuters
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