John Robert Dowling

John Robert Dowling was raised in Akron where he was an active member in 4-H and Farmers of America. He graduated from Akron High School in the class of 1967 and joined the Marine Corps in January 1968. After completing his training at Camp Pendleton in CA, PFC Dowling arrived in Vietnam on June 12, 1968 as a machine gunner. He was killed just one week later from fragmentation wounds he suffered from hostile mortar fire in Quang Tri near the Demilitarized Zone. A funeral service for the 19-year-old took place at the Immanuel Lutheran Church and his body was buried at Riverside Cemetery, both located in Akron.