Soldier Honored: Michael G. Owen

Army Sergeant Michael G. Owen, 31, of Phoenix was assigned to the 9th Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Leading a 3-man team, SGT Owen and two others were conducting vehicle-mounted loudspeaker operations when they were struck by a car bomb.  He was killed on October 15, 2004 in Karabilah, Iraq.

Owen joined the Army in 1992 and completed the psychological operations specialist course at Fort Bragg in 2002. During his tenure in the Army, Owen served in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Haiti before he was sent to Iraq. He spoke four languages, including French and Bosnian.

Owen was a loyal son and husband. He met his wife, Crystal, at Fort Bragg. “He took pride in everything he did, and he loved his job. He got where he wanted to be because he worked hard at it,” said Owen’s father. “He was quiet, he was reserved, he was modest and he was humble. He was always so respectful of anyone he came in contact with, never boasted about what he was doing,” Gary Owen said about his nephew. “We could all take lessons from him.”