Homer Bowling, 91, third from left, is pictured with Laurel County Sheriff John Root, far right, Shift Sgt. Allen Turner and Public Affairs Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, far left, at the Laurel County Sheriff’ s Office. | PHOTO COURTESY LAUREL COUNTY SHERIFF’ S OFFICE
For Homer Bowling, service to country wasn’ t a choice— it was a calling shared by nearly every man in his family. Drafted into the U. S. Army in April 1955, Bowling served until February 1957, joining a family legacy that
10 Salute our Heroes began long before his own enlistment.“ There were four of us boys, and all of us went into the service,” Bowling recalled.“ One brother didn’ t go overseas, but another was already in Korea when I got there.” Bowling’ s military journey began with basic training at Fort Carson, Colorado, followed by artillery training at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, before he was deployed to Korea. Though the war had officially ended, he served in South Korea near the Demilitarized Zone, where tensions remained high.