Lonnie Owens was born on July 22, 1921, in Pike County, Kentucky. He served in the 510th Bomber Squadron, 351st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner on the B-17F #42-29843 "The Screwball" during World War II.
On June 28, 1943, his crew took off from Station 110 in Polebrook, England, for a bombing in St-Nazaire, France. Shot down by flak during/after their mission, their plane crashed at the beach of Samzun in Locmaria, France. Five of the crew members were able to bail out, but the remaining members were declared dead and Missing in Action. Their bodies were never recovered. SSgt Owens was one of those who were missing. His name is honored on the Tablets of the Missing in the Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net, www.abmc.gov