FRANKLIN — More than a month after they died in a helicopter crash in the Philippines while fighting the war on terrorism, the bodies of two local soldiers have been recovered and returned to the United States.

        Army Capt. Bartt D. Owens and Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Class Jody Egnor recently were discovered together in their submerged MH-47E Chinook by a robot submarine, their relatives said Tuesday.

        Capt. Owens' body was returned to Franklin on Monday and services are planned for this weekend.

        Chief Warrant Officer Egnor's body is in Washington, and he will be buried soon in Arlington National Cemetery, said his mother, Margaret Egnor of Liberty Township. A memorial service that drew about 400 people was held Saturday.

        Both men had been presumed dead, along with six other soldiers of the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, based in Fort Campbell, Ky., and one Air Force para-rescue jumper.

        They were taking part in anti-terrorism exercises with Filipino troops Feb. 21 when their helicopter caught fire before plunging into the Bohol Sea.

        “It's awful,” Capt. Owens' mother, Penny Owens Taylor. said tearfully Tuesday. “It's like it's happening all over again.”

        The bodies were discovered in late March.

        “We will never get over it,” Mrs. Egnor said. “We plan to work very hard to keep Jody's memory alive.”

        Chief Warrant Officer Egnor, 32, grew up in Liberty Township in Butler County and graduated from Lakota High School in 1988.

        Capt. Owens, 30, also leaves behind a wife, Leah, and two daughters, Megan, 4, and Lauren, 2. He is a 1990 Franklin High School graduate and a 1994 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

        “I expect all of the services will be well attended just out of respect for not only who he was, but what he did for his country,” said Steve Peters, Franklin High School's cross country and track coach, who coached Capt. Owens.

        To honor him, school officials have renamed one of the track team's annual meets, held May 3 this year, as the Bartt D. Owens Invitational. A brief ceremony will be held before the meet in remembrance.
       

Services
        Services for Capt. Owens this weekend:

        • 4 to 9 p.m. visitation Friday at Eaton-Anderson & Unglesby Funeral Home, 1357 E. Second St., Franklin.

        • 10 a.m. graveside service Saturday at Woodside Cemetery, 1401 Woodside Blvd., Middletown.

        • 2 p.m. Saturday memorial at Towne Boulevard Church of God, 3722 Towne Blvd., Middletown.

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