James Bowie was born in September 1925 in Mississippi. Bowie had two sisters and one brother. He was the youngest. His parents raised him in Carthage, Mississippi. During the Depression [Annotator's Note: Great Depression; a global economic depression that lasted through the 1930s] his father was a traveling salesman. They had a big garden. Bowie sold vegetables out of his red wagon. His mother was well known. Their house burned down and they had to move to another home. The whole family worked. They had a small, rural farm. Bowie worked in a department store on Saturdays. They rode a bus to school. It was an agricultural high school before the Depression. They had good teachers. Bowie enjoyed school. He knew he was going to go into the service. They would go watch the news once or twice a week to see what was happening in the war. His brother was in the service already, serving in Europe. Bowie picked the Marine Corps because they were in the tropics, which appealed to him. He signed up for the Marines when he was 18 years old. His mother had talked to the draft board. After he received his draft papers, he went to Camp Shelby, Mississippi and was inducted into the Marine Corps. He was sworn in in 1943.

James Bowie joined the Marine Corps. He only knew what he saw in the newsreels. He had an uncle who served in the Navy during World War 1 [Annotator's Note: World War I, a global war originating in Europe; 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918]. His uncle tried to talk him out of being in the Marine Corps. He had been in the Marine Corps since the day he turned 18 years old. There were 19 young men in his small town that were drafted. One boy he knew went down on the USS Lexington [Annotator’s Note: the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16)] both times it was sunk. Another friend was a bombardier on the same plane as Clark Gable [Annotator’s Note: William Clark Gable, a famous American actor of the era]. Joe Wagner went to Ole Miss [Annotator’s Note: The University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi] and was in the ROTC program [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps]. Wagner was shipped to Europe to the Rhine River. Wagner was there for three days when a German 88 mm [Annotator's Note: German 88mm multi-purpose artillery] killed him. They expected Wagner to be a state politician. Bowie finished boot camp in 1943. He washed pots and pans as an assigned duty. He had a short furlough [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] and returned to Mississippi. When he returned from furlough, he was sent overseas. He had only been in the Marine Corps for about six months.

James Bowie was stationed in San Diego [Annotator’s Note: San Diego, California] for boot camp. He lived in a tent in the sand. He put on shoes full of sand every morning. The training was rough. They were glad to make it through boot camp. He made 50 dollars a month. Boot camp was brutal. Some of the men who were in their 30s had a hard time getting through boot camp. They were all glad to get through it. They had training at a rifle range. After boot camp, they joined the fleet. They were stationed at an air training depot. They kept hearing about the Aleutian Islands [Annotator’s Note: the Aleutian Islands are a 1,000-mile stretch of islands between Alaska and Russia]. One day they were issued overcoats. They thought they were going to the Pacific, not the Aleutians. They loaded on a Liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship] and had their overcoats with them. They had two meals a day. They had corned beef and hash and some sort of mutton for their meals every day. It was a beautiful camp. They could use the beaches. Bowie passed typewriting in high school. He was promoted to payroll.

James Bowie was part of the invasion of Guam [Annotator’s Note: The Battle of Guam, Mariana Islands; 21 July to 10 August 1944]. His aviation outfit was part of the 1st Marine Division. They stopped at Eniwetok [Annotator's Note: Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands]. They spent a lot of time on the ship. They made the invasion of Guam in two waves. Bowie went to shore on the initial day with his commanding officer. They had pancakes and dried eggs for breakfast. They established a beachhead. There was shrapnel on the runway. They had to march down the runway and pick up anything that would puncture a tire. There was some sniper fire. They did some shooting and got shot at. They got the airstrip cleaned off so that the planes could land. They had pup tents [Annotator's Note: small sleep tents often shared by two soldiers] set up at the end of the airfield. They enjoyed seeing the cliffs. The men had to patrol the cliffs because the Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] would hide in the caves. They would use flamethrowers [Annotator's Note: ranged incendiary device that projects a controllable jet of fire] to get the Japs out of the caves. They built another airstrip above the town for the fighter planes. They would play softball in the recreational area they had. In 1945, Bowie got notice that he was going home. The next day he got on a carrier and went home.

James Bowie knew the war was still going on when he was going home. Many of the men had war souvenirs. They were told they could not bring them into the United States. Some men were able to bring their souvenirs home. They were told if they did not get stopped and checked in Guam they would be in San Francisco [Annotator’s Note: San Francisco, California]. They took a British carrier back to the United States. The British did not take care of their guns. They got to clean the guns up and shoot them. There was a storm and the ship had to stop. One of the sailors had fallen overboard. They came into San Francisco and then went down to San Diego [Annotator’s Note: San Diego, California]. They were granted 30-day furloughs [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. They were told they would be replacements for the invasion of Japan. They had to report to North Carolina. On their way home from Guam to Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] President Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] died. The war in Europe was over. Bowie took his furlough at home in Carthage, Mississippi. The war officially ended while he was stationed in North Carolina. They went to town to celebrate the victory. After that their shipping orders were changed. In order to be discharged, they had to have enough points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home]. Bowie did not have very many points. He volunteered to be a clerk in Jacksonville, Florida. He was there until New Year's Day. Then he was transferred to Miami [Annotator’s Note: Miami, Florida] where he was discharged in April. He had planned to go to school when he got out. He was enrolled in Ole Miss [Annotator’s Note: the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi]. He studied civil engineering. He graduated from Ole Miss in 1950.

James Bowie used the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] to go to school. He got married in 1948. He met his wife during his first year at Ole Miss [Annotator’s Note: the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi]. He worked in geological surveying. He retired in 1980. He continued to work until 2005.

James Bowie was on a liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship] when he went to Guam [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Guam, 21 July to 10 August 1944]. They went through a torpedo alley. Bowie was sleeping on the deck when his ship was hit by another ship. He had his life jacket on and had to abandon ship. Everyone had to serve. He was drafted at 18 years old. His brother was in Europe serving in Patton’s Army [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.]. He did not want to be in the Army or the Navy. When he went back to school, his parents were making more money and were able to help him. He was able to get a vehicle. It was easier living than before the war. The G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] helped a lot. He is glad he was in the Marine Corps and has a military record. World War 2 was the last victory that was clear-cut. Bowie is proud of the things he has done. Young people should get an education.