Bowen, Collin J
Male
Verified U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Collin J. Bowen, 38, of Millersville, Maryland, died on March 14, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas, from wounds sustained in combat in Afghanistan.
Their Story
Sergeant First Class Collin J. Bowen was a 38-year-old soldier from Millersville, Maryland. He served with the Army's Infantry Battalion Training Team 1, based in Baltimore, and had deployed to multiple locations, including Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa, as part of his training and advisory duties.
Bowen died on March 14, 2008, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. According to the Department of Defense, he succumbed to wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in the Zabul province of Afghanistan on March 12, 2008.
His death occurred during a period of Operation Enduring Freedom characterized by a resurgence of Taliban forces and a sharp increase in the use of IEDs, which became the leading cause of U.S. casualties. The conflict, focused on counterinsurgency and stability operations, saw a significant number of American service members assigned to training and advising Afghan security forces.
The Army posthumously awarded Bowen the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. He was survived by his wife and children. His funeral was held at Arlington National Cemetery.
Bowen is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty panels at the Maryland Veterans Memorial in Annapolis. His name is also inscribed on the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, as he was a survivor of the 2001 attack on the Pentagon before his subsequent deployments.
Explore Further
SFC Collin J. Bowen was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001?2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
