Alpha Tau Omega - University of Florida

Alpha Omegans gather to show love and respect for the late Brother Sowell during a burial ceremony. Brandon Rafool '86, Henry Riess '78, Dan O'Rourke '78, Randy Randolph '75, Greg Marion '83, Scott Osteen, Epsilon Sigma '90, Mike Minton '76, John Marion '77, and David Reback '87. F or more than seven decades, the family of the late Sgt. Richard Gordon Sowell '42, known to most by the nickname "Tiny," hoped for a single phone call—a call that would confirm Tiny's remains had been located and identified on Saipan Island, the site of his sacrifice in service of the country during World War II. In 2015, that hope turned to promise with an unexpected call from the military to Tiny's nephew, Lewis Sowell, Jr., which set in motion the steps need- ed to finally bring Tiny home. In an interview last year with the Palm Beach Post, Lewis Jr. recounted that phone call, saying "They told me that possibly they had found some remains. At the time I said, 'I don't know if you did or not. The story I heard is there are no remains.' They sent me a DNA kit, which is amazing. And I did the swab thing, and I sent it back." On June 30, 2017, nearly two years from the initial DNA sample, the mili- tary confirmed Tiny's identity through test results from the swab provided by his nephew, calling the results a perfect match. The confirmation of identity marked a moment that Tiny's sister, Hazel Sowell Gorham, and his mother, Jimmie, had persistently pursued for years until their pass- ing. Before the military confirmed the identity, Tiny's remains had been interred since 1949 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, near Pearl Harbor, identified only by the designation X-29. His name had been included on a wall, among other casualties of Saipan, at the Courts of the Missing. Following identification of the remains, the military initiated arrangements to return Tiny for final burial at the family's plot at the Woodlawn Cemetery in West Palm Beach. Tiny's remains arrived home on November 8, 2017, accompanied by a full military detail. Along with Tiny's relatives, several Alpha Omegans and a community of proud Americans celebrated Tiny's re- turn and showed their respect in attendance at the funeral on November 10, 2017. Born in Quincy and raised in West Palm Beach, Tiny was a well-known student ath- lete and a mascot at Palm Beach High School. Tiny enrolled at the University of Florida where he studied through his sophomore year until deploying for service in World War II at the age of 21. At UF, Tiny was initiated as a member of the Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega. During his military service, Tiny fought as a forward spotter with the 295th Joint Assault Signal Company, 3rd Battalion, and made the ultimate sacrifice in the Battle of Saipan. A mortar shell hit his foxhole, just two days before U.S. Marines raised the stars and stripes marking the successful holding of the island. He was among 200 brave Palm Beach County men who died fighting in the war. For his service, Tiny was awarded the Good Con- duct Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the Bronze Star, the WWII Victory Medal, and the Purple Heart. At the Uni- versity of Florida, a certificate issued upon his sacrifice acknowledged his name was enshrined on a roll of honor at the campus "with the hope that generations yet unborn may be in-spired to stand for the same principles for which he so nobly fought." For excerpts of the arrival in West Palm Beach, view video prepared by Greg Marion'83 at: Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taEzIrRhXG8 Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT-BxEZN5cY Spring 2018 ALPHA OMEGAN the A L P H A T A U O M E G A F R A T E R N I T Y A T T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F F L O R I D A WWII VETERAN, RICHARD GORDON "TINY" SOWELL '42, RETURNS HOME AFTER 73 YEARS

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