US Army Career
In 1957, Ralph was drafted into the US Army, where he decided to make his career. While assigned to the 2nd Armored Division Band at Fort Hood, Texas, he was a member of a jazz quartet that won 1st place in an Army-wide competition. His quartet then performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, Episode #580 on August 30, 1959. Later, while assigned to the US Army in West Germany, Ralph met and married his wife, Rosemarie Schwenk. Ralph Bowerman also served with the US Army Transportation Corps in Vietnam during the 1969 Tet Offensive, and briefly worked as a personal assistant to US Army General William Westmoreland. After returning from Vietnam, Ralph was assigned to a series of posts in CONUS and Europe, including 3 years in West Germany (1972–74), where SFC Bowerman's responsibilities included establishing emergency deployment march tables for the US Army V Corps in event of a Warsaw Pact offensive.
Ralph's final deployment back to the US took him to the US Armed Forces School of Music, located at the US Naval Amphibious Base (Little Creek), Norfolk, VA. Promoted to Master Sergeant, MSG Bowerman was assigned to the joint services school as Senior Enlisted Director, Training Development, US Army Element. Ralph retired in 1980 after 23 year's service, a decorated veteran and recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal and Bronze Star Medal.
Read more about this topic: Ralph Lee Bowerman
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