World War II vet flew 45 missions as gunner in B-29 bomber

MOCKSVILLE , N.C. (Tribune News Service) — History was being made in Tokyo Bay that day in September 1945, and Leo “Sheek” Bowden Jr. was slated to play a small role in the formal end of World War II. Whether he knew it or not. Bowden — Junior to his friends — was a gunner with the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was scheduled to go on a mission to take photos. The issue, though, was secrecy. Details about the ceremony aboard the U.S.S. Missouri were shared only on a need-t