CAPT Benjamin Bernard Fowke, USN (Ret.) (December 2017)

​CAPT Benjamin Bernard Fowke, USN (Ret.), 93, passed away December 12, 2017.

Born in Spartanburg, SC, he was the son of the late Walter Bernard Fowke and Myrtle Bennett Fowke. 

Left to cherish his memory: his wife of 68 years, Sara Johnston Fowke; a son, Benjamin B. Fowke, Jr., of Ormond Beach, FL; two daughters, Betsy L. Lindquist (Dan) of Ormond Beach, FL and Joanie F. Newhart (Khosrow Matini, MD) of Mt. Vernon, VA; three grandchildren, David Miller, Jr. (Carmen), Miranda Fowke, and Michael Fowke; and a great-grandson, Edwin Martinez. He was preceded in death by a son, Roger Fowke and two grandsons, Joe Tennant and Nicholas Fowke.

He served for 33 years as a naval aviator, participating in the end of World War II, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War. He flew in carrier squadrons on both coasts, plus Italy and Japan. In the Korean conflict, he served in the Navy’s first night attack squadron. He served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Naval History Center in Washington, DC. He served on numerous ships, including the Boxer, the Coral Sea, the Bennington, and made carrier landings on numerous other carriers. He was most proud of his assignment to Test Pilot Training School and subsequent tour as a test pilot at Patuxent River, MD; and his tour as Commanding Officer of VRC-50, a large carrier transport squadron in Japan. He graduated from Wofford College, Auburn University, Naval Justice School, Naval War College, and Air War College. He retired with the rank of Captain.a