Glenn Franklin Owens, World War II CasualtyPorter County Data on World War II Casualties . . . .
Glenn Franklin Owens
Seaman Second Class, US Navy Reserve
Date of Birth: July 24, 1922
Date of Death: June 6, 1942
Burial: Buried at Sea (Pacific Ocean)
Cause of Death: Killed in Action
Date of Enlistment: November 14, 1941
Monument: Tablets of The Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii
Hometown: Valparaiso
Newspaper Notices:
Local Young Man Victim of Action On Pacific Front
Parents of Glenn Owen, 19, Receive Word Sailor Son is Killed
The name of another Porter county youth was added Saturday to the list of the
nation's dead in the battle of the Pacific.
Yonley A. Owens, 654 Greenwich street received official notification from the
Navy Department at Washington, D. C., that his son, Glenn, age 19, was killed in
action. No further details were given.
Young Owens was employed for several years at the Vidette-Messenger office in
the mailing department and also carried a paper route before entering the
service.
He was graduated from the Valparaiso high school in the class of 1940. In
November, 1941, before the attack on Pearl Harbor, he entered in the navy and
was sent to Great Lakes, Ill. Later he was transferred to Charleston, S. C.,
where he was assigned to a destroyer. His boat was sent to the Pacific area.
Recall Recent Letter
The last word from the young naval hero was received here by the family 15 days
ago. At that time he reported he was well and told of some of his duties on the
ship. Because of naval secrecy he was unable to tell the location of the vessel.
Mrs. Owens, mother of Glenn, was visiting relatives at Hagerstown, Ill., when
the message was received here. All efforts to contact her through radio and wire
messages have so far failed.
Young Owens was born in Chicago and would have reached his 20th birthday July 24
next.
He is the fifth Porter county youth to be listed as killed or missing in World
War Number 2.
Surviving besides his parents are four sisters, Lorna, Elaine, Ethel, and
Genevieve and one brother, Billy.
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Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana;
June 22, 1942; Volume 15, Page 1 Column 8
Glenn Owens Is Buried At Sea, Report
The name of Glenn Owens, seaman, 2nd class, was officially added to the honor
roll of Porter county's illustrous war heroes, when the Navy Department
announced today that the Valparaiso youth had been killed in action.
Mr. and Mrs. Yonley Artimice Owens, 604 Greenwich street, parents of Glenn,
received word on June 20 last of his death in a notice from the Navy Department.
Latter a letter was received from Ross T. McIntire, Rear Admiral (MC), Surgeon
General, U. S. Navy, informing them that the death of their son was a result of
injuries received while in action against the enemy. Conditions of the battle
made burial at sea a necessity, the missive stated.
Young Owens was the fifth Porter county man to be listed in the casualty reports
since Pearl Harbor.
Came Here in 1923
He was born on July 24, 1922, in Chicago, and came to Valparaiso with his
parents in April, 1923. He attended the city schools and was graduated from
Valparaiso high school in 1940. His school career was marked with a perfect
attendance record for the last seven years, a feat of which he was proud.
He was employed at The Vidette-Messenger office for four years and later at the
Continental Diamond Fibre company for 15 months. His ambition was to become a
linotypist.
Joining the navy on Nov. 14, 1941, at Great Lakes, Ill., he was assigned to a
ship sent to sea on Dec. 17, 1941. His boat was shortly afterward sent to the
Pacific area, where he met his death in the early part of June.
Besides his parents, four sisters, Lorna, Elaine, Ethel and Genevieve, and one
brother, Billy, are left to mourn the loss of a brave son and brother.
__________________________________________________________________
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana;
July 14, 1942; Volume 16, Page 1 Column 2
Ten Porter County Men Dead Or Missing Since U. S. Went Into War Against Japan
(BY ENG ZIMMERMAN, Sr)
"Remember Pearl Harbor" Today Valparaiso and Porter county citizens remembers
that event which transpired just a year ago today when a Japanese air squadron,
more than 100 strong, roared out of a peaceful sky to deal destruction and death
to American warships, air dromes and U. S. fighting men at Pearl Harbor.
With quietness and an air of solemnity, citizens recalled dastardly Japanese
sneak attack and resolved to "Remember Pearl Harbor" as their battlecry to
retaliate in full measure to the Japanese for their treachery in causing the
unwarranted deaths of several thousand brave members of the U. S. fighting
forces.
Not until yesterday was the full extent of the carnage at Pearl Harbor revealed
to the public on the theory that such information would have proved valuable to
the enemy.
Local Youth Wounded
Porter county had only one casualty at Pearl Harbor. He was Harold Lenburg, of
Valparaiso, who was critically wounded in the onslaught. Lenburg spent
considerable time in hospitals recovering from his wounds before he was able to
return home. He is recipient of the Purple Heart award.
Since that eventful day a year ago in the Pacific, ten Porter county men have
been included in the government's casualty lists as killed in action or missing.
First to answer the summons was Charles McKindred Proffitt, gunner on the U. S.
destroyer Jacob Jones, which was torpedoes in the Atlantic in September.
DeForest Dye, a member of the Navy, was next reported missing in the Pacific in
March. Then in May, Capt. Robert F. Ruge, of the Marine Corps, was reported
missing. Ruge had been on Bataan and Corregidor just before U. S. forces on
those points capitulated to the Japanese. Later he was promoted to the rank of
major.
Hebron Youth Missing
Another Porter county man stationed at Corregidor, Joseph Twa, of Hebron, was
also reported missing. In both the Ruge and Twa announcements it was not known
whether they were killed or captured. No further word has been received.
Next to be added to the honor roll of Porter county was the name of Glen Owens,
of Valparaiso. He was reported killed in action in the Pacific in June. His body
was buried at sea.
Soon after the announcement of young Owens' death, came word that John Hales
Bates of Hebron was missing from a carrier in the Pacific. He was a member of
the U. S. air service.
Another man to pay the supreme sacrifice was Howard L. Pumroy, of Kouts. Pumroy
was reported killed in the Solomons while fighting with the marines.
John Jacob Birky, student pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force residing on
Valparaiso RFD 3, was killed at Centralia, Ontario, in October when a plane
which he was flying during night practice crashed. The body was brought to this
city for memorial services.
Capt. William H. Chambers of the U. S. air force was reported missing in action
since Oct. 19. He was believed to have been in Alaska region.
The latest casualty reported was Pvt. First Class Edward Smith of Valparaiso. He
was reported killed in action in the South Pacific on Nov. 18.
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Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana;
December 7, 1942; Volume 16, Page 1 Column 6
Return to
List of
Porter County World War II Casualties
Information abstracted and transcribed by Steven R. Shook