Self Published at 140 pages
Written by his son, this book is about the life of Kenneth Awtrey Brower, born in Greenfield, Oklahoma in 1919. He was the nephew of Lee Awtrey, longtime Greenfield correspondent for this newspaper.
This story begins well before Kenneth’s birth with the hardships experienced by his parents and grandparents of Blaine County even before Oklahoma statehood. These were not just plain folks, but families and legends of past generations that produced this hero of America’s Greatest Generation.
His Oklahoma Army National Guard time began as a Private following high school graduation in 1938. He transferred to join the Army Air Corps in 1941 following the Pearl Harbor disaster. Following his 46th mission in the B-26 medium bomber, his family worries concerning his (MIA) missing in action status were featured in the pages of The Daily Oklahoman and the Oklahoma City Times. Thankful for the French Underground, he was hidden and later liberated by the English Army. He later served in the Korean Conflict, the Cuban Crisis and Vietnam. He retired in 1968 as a USAF Lieutenant Colonel.
In retirement, Brower continued to be active in military associations in north Texas where he was a member if the (B-26) Marauders of the Metroplex. He presented over fifty live history talks to high school students and college students as well. His story has been selected as a part of the Veterans History Project, located in the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, Washington D.C. He was later selected as a member of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame by the Oklahoma Military Heritage Foundation in 2024.
This book is currently found at the OKC Full Circle bookstore and the Knight’s Nook (Tues.-Sat.) on W. Main Street in Yukon.