Harry Thomas Bowman II was born on August 31, 1945, to Harry and Gertrude Bowman.  His home of record is Wood Ridge, NJ.  He had two sisters, Judith and Patricia.  He graduated from Wood Ridge High School in 1963.

Harry went to college in Tennessee.  He spent two years at Tusculum College in Greenville and one at the University of Knoxville.  While in college, he was in the ROTC.

Harry left college in 1966, and enlisted in the US Navy.  He was a Hospitalman (HN) and served as a medic with M Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division.

Bowman had a deep and abiding faith; he acted as a Chaplain for his Marines in the field.
On May 9, 1968, during Operation Houston II, at Hai Van Pass, Thua Thien Province, Republic of South Vietnam, Bowman’s unit came under intense fire from a well-entrenched force.  Observing three injured Marines lying in an open area exposed to the hostile fire, Bowman maneuvered across the fire swept terrain and carried the most seriously injured man to a position of safety.  Returning to the hazardous area, Bowman moved the second Marine to a position of relative safety.  Before reaching the remaining casualty, he was wounded.  Despite his injuries, Bowman steadfastly continued toward his fallen comrade until he was mortally wounded by heavy enemy fire.

Bowman was promoted posthumously to the rank of Hospitalman Third Class (HM3).  He was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Service Medal, the Cross of Gallantry/w Palm and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Harry Bowman was awarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously.  His citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Corpsman with Company M, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division.  On 9 May 1968, HM3 Bowman’s unit came under intense fire from a well-entrenched force wounding several Marines.  Observing three Marines lying in an open area exposed to the hostile fire, he courageously maneuvered across the fire-swept terrain and carried the most seriously wounded Marine to a position of relative safety and, before reaching the remaining casualty, was wounded.  Despite his injuries, he steadfastly continued toward his fallen comrade and was mortally wounded by heavy enemy fire.  By his extraordinary courage, determination, and devotion to duty despite extreme personal danger, HM3 Bowman saved the lives of two Marines and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.  He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

It is difficult for me to know where to start and when to stop with information about my beloved brother, Harry Thomas Bowman II.  He was a wonderful HUMAN being.  He loved life and embraced it with joy and zest!  He loved and was loved.  He had a great sense of humor, kind, never caustic.  He had faith and knew that God had a plan for his life.  I believe he lived his life to the fullest and feel blessed to call him brother.  Even as a young adult, he treated other people respectfully, including younger children.  It sounds as though I am describing a saint, and that is not so – he was full of fun, a joy, and really nice.  We miss him terribly, even to this day.

Harry was my miracle – I wished for him when I blew out the candles on my 8th birthday cake.  He was born on our parents’ 10th anniversary, August 31, 1945.  We grew up in the borough of Wood Ridge, NJ, a very small town in Bergen County.  We had an ideal childhood.  There were three children in my family.  My sister, Judith Bowman Quail, lives in North Carolina; I live in the Finger Lakes area of New York.  Our loving parents, who moved from Wood Ridge to St. Petersburg, FL, are deceased. 

Harry did all the usual “boy” stuff growing up.  He was athletic and he enjoyed being with and playing with his friends.  He passed the Marine Corps physical fitness test while a junior in high school.  He graduated from Wood Ridge High School in 1963.

He went to college in Tennessee.  While in college he was in ROTC.  He left college in 1966 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy.  He was a Hospitalman and served as a medic with M Co., Third Battalion/Fifth Marines.  He was killed on Mother’s Day, May 9, 1968 in a horrible battle now referred to as Houston II, in a place called Hai Van Pass.  He was 22 years old.  He died ministering to his Marine brothers, and was, and still is, loved by them.  They were under siege for many days, and it is truly amazing that any of them survived.  Harry was awarded the Silver Star. 

The Marines of the 3/5 honored my brother with a memorial presentation at their reunion in Georgia in May 2002.  My sister and I with members of our families attended and received the memorial case that was presented by Sgt. Maj. Wright and Gen. Ray Davis.  We are most grateful to them for honoring our family in this way.  They are such special people and we feel blessed to have them in our lives.  We had virtually no information about the end of Harry’s life and we are grateful that his beloved Marine brothers have shared their memories of him. -Written by Patricia Bowman Larsen, Sister

A letter from Harry T. Bowman II to his father about his decision to enlist in the military:
In the course of the few months that I stayed home and during Mother’s serious illness I feel that we came to know each other better.  I think, therefore, that now is the appropriate time to tell you of my plans for the immediate future.  What I have to say, I trust, will not be of complete shock to you.  In the passing of these last few weeks I have realized that for me the finish of my college education, at this time, is inopportune.  My mind is not fixed to the whole hearted concentration which is demanded by the curriculum that I now have.

I realize the great importance that a complete college education affords me and I will strive to reach that goal someday, no matter what the cost.  However, right now I feel that my country and flag can use me more effectively.  I am driven by a compulsion I find difficult to describe, to defend the honor of my homeland.

You may remember an oath I repeated, once, behind closed doors: “Her flag, my flag; Her cause, my cause; and I will defend her honor with my life if need be.”  In my heart the need exists and the time is now.

It is possible that my emotions could be tagged as “stupidity” but I rather prefer to call them patriotism, if such a word still has meaning.

You realize, I hope, that I do not have the excitement filled aspirations of boyhood, but instead, the desires of a man, who by standing on his own two feet sees the world as a whole and not just a separate little corner apart from all the outside activity which is trying to disrupt its existence.  I cannot by any means sit back and watch my country’s flag be desecrated without actively participating in its defense.

Under these circumstances I have decided to enlist in the Marine Corps and go in as soon as this quarter comes to an end.  I know as a man you understand my feelings and realize that this is something I want and feel is necessary.

Taken from Project Remembrance at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, Iselin, NJ:
On his parents’ 10th anniversary, Harry Thomas Bowman II, a.k.a. ‘Doc” Harry Bowman, was born on August 31, 1945.  He lived in Wood Ridge, NJ.  He served with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, M Company.  According to The Bravest Man I Ever Knew by Rocco E. Giambrocco, Bowman saved many lives.  Even though he was wounded twice, he still treated others’ wounds.  He also protected the wounded from gunfire by using his own body as a shield, then continued working.  He was then shot a third time while working on an injured soldier and then slumped down dead.  According to Giambrocco, Bowman was considered “untouchable” because he saved so many lives.  “Bowman was a very smart man.  He had a great sense of humor, and was always ready to help when he was needed.  He was the best medical assistance for whom any Marine could have hoped.  He had a combination of courage, focus, and a strong sense of duty and honor.”

According to To a Real Hero, by Jerry Lomax, he was considered a big hero to everyone.  Everyone who knew him was “crushed and devastated” emotionally when they found out the terrible news of his death.  Also, in The Doctorman, Curtis Batten states, “I have even heard him (Bowman) yell in frustration one time, to the clouds, ‘God (or to whoever was willing to listen to him), “Do you think I am a doctor?!’”  “Yes, Doc, we did; that’s why we loved you.”  This shows how heartbreaking it was to those who cared deeply for him when he passed away during the Vietnam War.

From speaking with a close relative of Mr. Bowman, his niece, Mrs. Larsen Babcock, we must recognize what a wonderful person this man was.  “Harry was eleven when I was born and I had him in my life for eleven very impressionable years.  He was a lot of fun.  I have memories of him walking on his hands and letting me find coins that fell from his pockets.”

Mr. Bowman was a well-respected man and his memories live on because he was so well loved.  Letters sent to and from his family, during the Vietnam War, show how much he missed them and was missed.  He wrote to his toddler nephew, Georgie: 

I got your last two letters.  Thank you very much for writing.  We have a lot of fun here in the Army.  I play the doctor and my men play wounded.  Sometimes we play cowboys and Indians with the bad guys, but they don’t even play fair.  I liked your drawings and carry them with me when I can.  When the bad guys get too close I show them your picture and they run away. 

Bowman was survived by his parents and two sisters. He was awarded the Silver Star posthumously. A scholarship fund was started in his name.    
                                          
Sources: Patricia Bowman Larsen (sister), John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024