Sergeant Everett A. Lowery of Shelby County Texas was awarded the Silver Star for heroism while serving with the 1st Cavalry Division in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. Headquarters, 1st Cavalry Division, General Orders No. 24 (1944)

Sergeant Lowery was born in Center, Texas on October 2, 1920 or 1921 to John Brittain Lowery (1886–1969) and Willie Belle Jones Lowery (1884-1936). His father’s first wife Addie Windham Lowery passed away in 1914). John and Willie Belle were married on October 8th, 1916. Everette’s siblings were step-brother G. W. Eugene (1912-1975), brother Buren T. (1917-1945, killed in auto accident) and sister Iris E. (1919-2006). Iris married J. W. McSwain on July 31st, 1937.

The 1930 census had the Lowery family living in Precinct 1, Shelby County and listed Everett’s age as 9. From available records I believe Everett completed 1 year of high school and joined the U.S. Army on January 5th, 1940. The 1940 census showed him as a 19 year old soldier from Shelby County, Texas living at Fort Clark, Kinney, Texas with a lot of other guys who were all going through Army training.

The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 and World War II was on. From then until February 19th, 1944 information on Everett Lowery is sketchy. In 1943 he was sent to Australia and after six months of training there Everett and the 1st Cavalry Division got their first taste of combat. The men of the division sailed for the Admiralty Islands and stormed ashore in an amphibious landing at Los Negros Island. After a fierce campaign in which the enemy lost some 7,000 combat soldiers, the division could look with pride on its first combat test of World War II. The next action for the Cavalry troops was on the Philippine Island of Leyte. The division fought tirelessly against the Japanese fortification. With the last of the strong-holds eliminated, the division moved on to Luzon, the main island of the Philippines. One of the First Team's most noted feats was accomplished during the fighting for Luzon. On January 31, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur issued the order, "Go to Manila, free the prisoners at Santo Tomas, take Malacanan Palace and the legislative building." The next day, the "flying column," as the element came to be known, jumped off to slice through 100 miles of Japanese territory. Hours later, the 1st Cavalry was in Manila and the prisoners were freed. The First Team was "First in Manila."

Somewhere in all the fighting, battles and chaos Sergeant Everett A. Lowery earned two Purple Hearts for wounds received in action and a Silver Star for gallantry in action.

At wars end he was discharged on June 5th, 1946 and probably due to his war wounds he was admitted to the Kennedy Veteran’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee on July 1st, 1946. He was there for 49 days when on August 18th, 1946 at the age of 26 he died of a brain abscess according to his certificate of death # 17887.

Sergeant Everett A. Lowery is buried in the Antioch Cemetery, Shelby County, Texas beside his mother. Ironically he was born in Shelby County, Texas and died in Shelby County, Tennessee. There is an inconsistency in his date of birth as his family marker lists 1921 and his military marker lists 1920. His certificate of death has a different day of October 27, 1920. I believe the October 2, 1920 date is correct.

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” ? Winston Churchill

Sources: Ancestry.com; Champion Newspaper, 10/19/1944; Fort Hood Website; family member, Alice Lowery

Everett Adrain Lowery