John W. Bowman Jr. ’66

John, known to classmates as “Bows,” died Aug. 21, 2025, ending a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Bows came to Princeton from Choate, where he was on the football, swimming, wrestling, and track teams. At Princeton, he majored in history, roomed in Patton, and was an NROTC platoon commander. He belonged to Cottage Club and played rugby, lacrosse, and football.

The son of a Marine colonel, Bows enlisted in the Corps upon graduation and served several decorated tours in Vietnam, flying helicopters. Ordered to destroy secret equipment at a U.S. airbase as Vietnamese soldiers and artillery approached Saigon, he was among the last Marines to leave the country. When U.S. recovery ships moved unexpectedly far off coast, he ran out of fuel on his return trip and was forced to ditch his Huey Cobra in the South China Sea. He was rescued by one of the ships.

After Vietnam, Bows was stationed at Camp Pendleton and Quantico, as part of a helicopter squadron. He retired from the Marines after 25 years. His final post-Marine assignment was as head of a civilian group providing logistical support to the Pentagon.

He is survived by his wife, Grace; stepsons Marshall and Elliot Schneider; and several grandchildren and cousins, including Griff Sexton ’65. The class extends its condolences to them all.