Marker tells story of Sandy Springs hero
Published: September 25, 2004
For most of her life, Tonnie Jackson didn’t know much about the military achievements of her great uncle, Cpl. Freddie Stowers.
She remembers only the pride reflected in her late mother’s eyes whenever she would talk about him. It wasn’t until the Sandy Springs native became the recipient in 1991 of the Congressional Medal of Honor - the first awarded to a black man in either world war - that she and the rest of the nation became familiar with his story of sacrifice, dedication and triumph over racial prejudice.
Signing up at 21 with the all-black 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, Stowers was assigned to the American Expeditionary Force and sent to France to fight against the Germans in World War I.
He was killed in 1918 trying to capture Hill 188, which led to Allied breakthrough of the German military line near Champagne Marne and to Germany’s surrender six weeks later. Stowers is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France.
His actions earned a recommendation at the time for a Distinguished Service Cross and a Medal of Honor, but neither was bestowed - an “administrative oversight” discovered during a congressional investigation in the mid-1980s into the lack of war recognition for black soldiers.
More than a decade after the Medal of Honor finally was awarded to his family by former President George Bush, the once-forgotten hero was formally remembered Friday by the community in which he grew up.
Anderson County and the Pendleton Foundation of Black History and Culture dedicated a waist-high metal marker commemorating his life at Sandy Springs Community Park in a morning ceremony. That was followed by the unveiling of a special exhibit at the Anderson County Museum, where Stowers two years ago was made an inaugural member of the Anderson County Hall of Fame.
Next week, he will be recognized by the state along with 36 other South Carolina Medal of Honor winners.
“It doesn’t matter the color of our skin, but the color of our souls,” said Jackson after the ceremony. “The thing that pleases my heart is that day he was killed he was working out of diligence: ‘I am going to defend my men as best I can.’”
About 300 officials and dignitaries attended Friday’s event, including two Tuskegee Airmen and about 50 members of Stowers’ surviving family, some of whom came from as far away as Washington state and New York.
They watched with eyes full of tears as Stowers’ memory was honored with full military pageantry. The honors included a 21-gun salute and the firing of a World War I-era horse-drawn cannon.
“It’s a big change from where we started from,” said family member Shirley Stowers Taylor, 68, of Atlanta about the flurry of recognition. “Getting the Medal of Honor was the big thing for us - look how long it took - but this is fantastic.”
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