Local WWII veteran honored by grandson
Mr. Bawden proudly displays the flag flown by his grandson, Staff Sgt. John Bawden, deployed with the Oklahoma Army National Guard, who also served as a Marine in Iraq. Text from the narration reads: “On 5 September 2008, your 87th birthday, John Bawden flew this flag high above Firebase Bennett, Special Operations Task Force-North, Taji, Iraq.
The very presence of this American Flag over the Firebase demonstrates America’s unrelenting resolve and steadfast determination to bring justice to the terrorists who threaten our way of life. The men of 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) salute you.”
Retired Air Force Maj. Robert T. Bawden, a veteran who served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, currently lives in Knob Noster, Mo. and has served at Whiteman Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Stan Coleman)