John Bowers and Joanne Cook received a special delivery this week? all the way from across the pond.
The Groveland Township residents were delighted to open their mail and relive, via the DVD inside, the day last November when their son, Paul Bowers, received the Order of the British Empire from Prince William during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
‘It was just a wonderful time, it was sort of surreal being at Buckingham Palace,? said Joanne.
‘It was a beautiful ceremony with the guards and the band playing the queen’s anthem and the way Paul was in front of Prince William. It was exciting.?
Paul Bowers, a captain in the Royal Navy, learned last summer he would be awarded the Order of the British Empire.
In a story for The Citizen last August regarding the OBE, Bowers corresponded via email and called the award ‘totally out of the blue and a great honour,? one that would not have been possible without the support of his colleagues, and the help and understanding of his family.
According to the official website of the British Monarchy, ‘The Order of the British Empire recognises distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services outside the Civil Service and work with charitable and welfare organisations of all kinds.?
The OBE was created by King George V in 1917, during World War I from a desire to recognize those in the British Isles and elsewhere in the Empire serving in the war effort both as combatants and as civilians. Women were included for the first time in an order of chivalry, as well as foreigners who assisted the Brits. Beginning in 1918 and going forward, there were military and civil divisions to the OBE.
Today the Order of the British Empire is the order of chivalry of British democracy, according to the website. Valuable service is the only criterion for the award, and the Order is now used to reward service in a wide range of useful activities.
Paul, 48, moved to the United Kingdom in 1980 and joined the Royal Navy in 1989 as part of the Fleet Air Arm. His career has included performing NATO tasks in the former Yugoslavia (now Serbia) anti-drug operations in the Caribbean, and riding out a hurricane off the eastern U.S. seaboard, but he earned his OBE honor by running the UK support to French and Mali forces countering insurgents from Sahel in early 2013, helping in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan and also serving as the operational team leader for an assisted evacuation of UK and EU personnel from South Sudan, which suffered an unexpected coup attempt.
Bowers? last operation was operational team leader for the UK contribution to assist the Nigerian government in locating 276 female students kidnapped the night of April 14-15, 2014 from a secondary school in the town of Chibok. Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for the abductions.
According to the British Monarchy website, around 20 investitures are held in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace each year.
‘Nobody does official pomp and ceremony like the British,? said John Bowers, a native of England who moved permanently to the U.S. in his 20s. ‘As an observer I was very impressed, I can only imagine that a participant must feel that their contribution to the benefit of the country had truly been recognized.?
John recalls that as he and Joanne arrived at Buckingham Palace for their son’s ceremony, they passed through expected security procedures, ‘then entered a different world, one of power, tradition and history.
They walked down the corridors and were seated in the ballroom where most state occasions are celebrated, surrounded by great works of art by the masters. They were made to feel very welcome by polite and exceedingly courteous staff.
The crowd quieted with the beginning of the ceremony and entrance of the Yeoman of the Guard, which John explains is the oldest Royal bodyguard and military unit in the world, created by Henry VII in 1485.
‘It sent a few shivers down my spine,? he said. ‘There were only five, dressed in ornate uniforms carrying pikes, but their slow, silent, deliberate procession with just the slow measured thump of the staff and their grim faces seemed somehow medieval and, to me at least, conveyed more menace than the police with submachine guns in the modern security cordon at the gate.?
John and Joanne hearts swelled with pride as they saw their son in his dress uniform and heard his name and accomplishment announced. Prince William chatted with Paul Bowers before bestowing upon him his investiture.
‘Can he really be a captain in the Navy?? wondered John as he watched his son. ‘The last time I looked, he was catching frogs and snakes in Michigan.?
The entire event, in which about 80 medals rewarding service to the country were given to a few military personnel including Paul, but mostly civilians, including educators, police, firemen and business people, took about an hour.
‘I was very pleasantly surprised by the conduct and the professionalism of the Prince,? said John. ‘The Prince seemed to take as much notice, time and interest with the 80th as with the first.?
Now they can replay it all not only in their hearts and minds, but also on the telly whenever they want.