Please read the link Rowe cites in his Facebook post below, to his ‘relation’, Col. Nick Rowe.
No Relation?
This morning, I googled The Unknown Soldier. I was looking for an image of his grave to accompany something I had written to commemorate Memorial Day. I found the photo I was looking for at Arlington, but right next to it, I saw another headstone that caught my attention.
My first thought was “maybe we’re related?” My family tree, especially on my Dad’s side, is more like a wall of ivy, so I thought it might be possible. I clicked on the link below the image. The link took me to a webpage, and the page – a true memorial if there ever was one – told me the incredible story of Lt. Colonel James “Nick” Rowe.As it turns out, Colonel Rowe is a legend among the Special Forces, and if he were in anyway related to my own family, I’d have certainly known it by now. His story would have been drilled into my head as a child. My father would have taken us to his grave. And the details of his heroism would have been memorized years ago. How strange, to learn of them this morning, in such a random way.
Ambushed in 1963, Rowe spent 5 years in a wooden box, courtesy of the Viet Cong. He was an intelligence officer, and possessed mountains of information the enemy desperately wanted. 1st Lt. Rowe on the other hand, was not inclined to cooperate.