CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – A Berkeley County native and war veteran returns home this week for a very special occasion. Vester Owens will celebrate his 100th birthday in his hometown of Cross. His family is giving him the welcome home celebration he never received as a soldier after World War II. He now lives in Texas.
His birthday is April 9, and on Saturday, his loved ones have organized a parade to honor him for his service and sacrifice. The public is invited to come out and cheer him on along the route. Family members say the ROTC and band from Cross High School will be participating. The parade route begins at 3:00 p.m. at the intersection of Highways 6 and 45. It ends at Cross High School.
His family provided the following biography about Owens’ life and service.
Vester Owens was born in rural Cross on April 9, 1922. A black man born in the segregated south, he worked as a plowman in the cotton fields until drafted into the United States Army in 1942. He left his home in Berkeley County to help storm the beaches of Normandy, France, on D-Day in 1944 during World War II.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/GINUMNFLNJGWFC6RAVFERQHKTY.png "Berkeley County Native Comes Home To Celebrate 100th Birthday, Military Service - Live 5 News WCSC 2")
Owens risked his life as Germans attempted to cut off the precious supply lines he worked on to help the largest invasion in history move forward. It would be some time before Germany finally surrendered in 1945.
After the war, there were no ticker-tape parades lined with a thankful public when Owens returned home. White soldiers in towns big and small were honored and celebrated. His didn’t have the same large public reception because Jim Crow laws were still in place. Owens’ heroism was only recognized by his family. To others, his sacrifice was ignored and unremembered.
Now, Mr. Vester Owens wants to come full circle and celebrate being 100 years old in the rural area where he grew up, Cross, S.C. He is determined to go back to where it all began for him, nearly a century ago.
Owens married Julie Nesbitt, and they had five children; three are still living.
After World War II, he left the Army and transitioned to the Air Force, retiring after 27 years of service. He retired from Caswell Air Force Base in Ft. Worth and made Texas his home.
He is a retired businessman believed to have the first black-owned vending company in Tarrant County, Texas.
He helped many other family members to relocate to Texas, sponsoring some financially with scholarships to attend college.
Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.