Army Cpl. Freddie Stowers served as an infantryman during World War I and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor more than 70 years after his heroic actions in France in September 1918.
Stowers was born Jan. 12, 1896; he was one of Wylie and Annie Stowers' 12 children. His father was a farmer, and his mother was a laborer. Stowers grew up in Sandy Springs, South Carolina, and worked on the family farm.
In October 1917, Stowers was 21 when he was drafted into the Army and sent to basic training at Camp Jackson, now Fort Jackson, South Carolina. His wife, Pearl, and their daughter, Minnie Lee, named for one of his sisters, stayed in Sandy Springs, which was nearly two hours away.
Demonstrating his leadership early on, Stowers was promoted to private first class within two months and then to corporal upon arriving in France in April 1918. He was assigned to Company C, 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division — one of two buffalo soldier, all-Black divisions — which was ordered to support the 157th French Army.
On Sept. 28, 1918, while serving as a squad leader, Stowers' company came under attack on Hill 188, in the Champagne-Marne Sector of northeastern France. Shortly after the attack began, the Germans ceased firing and climbed onto the parapets of the trenches, holding up their arms as if to surrender. However, it was a trap. As the American forces advanced and reached within about 100 meters of the trench line, the Germans jumped back into their trenches. They opened fire with machine guns and mortars, killing or wounding half of Stowers' company, including his lieutenant and senior noncommissioned officers.
With complete disregard of personal danger and under devastating fire, Stowers took command, crawled forward and led his squad toward the enemy machine-gun nest. After fierce fighting, it was destroyed.
While crawling forward and urging his men to continue the attack on a second trench line, Stowers was hit. Although mortally wounded, he continued to lead his troops and pressed forward, urging the members of his squad until he died.
Inspired by his heroism and display of bravery, the company continued the attack against incredible odds, contributing to the capture of Hill 188 and causing heavy enemy casualties.
After the war, Stowers' commanding officer recommended him for the Medal of Honor, but it was never processed. After a records review in the early 1990s, the recommendation was found, and President George H.W. Bush posthumously presented the Medal of Honor to Stowers. Two of his sisters, Georgiana Palmer and Mary Bowens, accepted the medal on behalf of the family during a White House ceremony held April 24, 1991.
Stowers is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Meuse, France.
A bronze statue of him was unveiled Nov. 10, 2015, on the campus of Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina, a few miles from his birthplace.
There's a Stowers Elementary School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and a Freddie Stowers Single Soldiers Complex at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, as well as a Freddie Stowers Veterans Memorial in Anderson County, South Carolina.
This article is part of a weekly series called "Medal of Honor Monday," in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the U.S. military's highest medal for valor.
