Alumnus to SC State ROTC cadets: ‘You will discover many things that you never knew about yourself.’
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Military service is a profession like no another and offers lifelong bonds.
Bulldog Battalion alumnus Lt. Col. Kenneth B. Fowler offered that reminder to South Carolina State University’s Army ROTC cadets on Thursday as he delivered the keynote address at the university’s annual Veterans Appreciation Program.
“We celebrate Veterans Day to honor all who have served our nation with honor and distinction,” Fowler said. “Today is a reminder that the American people are its greatest strength. There are many reasons to serve this great country, but keep in mind service in the military is a profession unlike any other. You will discover many things that you never knew about yourself.
“For example, I discovered that I was afraid of heights right before I jumped out of airplanes,” he said, generating laughs from the audience in SC State’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium.
The 2004 SC State graduate said military service offers countless financial and educational benefits, as well as a paycheck, noting that he incurred no expenses while obtaining both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Each year, SC State conducts the Veterans Appreciation Program ahead of Veterans Day to honor the contributions and sacrifices military personnel make on behalf of the nation and its people.
About Lt. Col. Kenneth B. Fowler
Fowler was reared on the island of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. While in high school, he was a member of the National Honor Society, the Chess Club, the varsity football team, and the Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) Program.
He received a four-year scholarship to college through the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) Program. During his freshman year at South Carolina State University, he was selected as the ROTC MS-1 Superior Cadet.
In 2004, he received his commission as an active-duty 2nd lieutenant in the Army, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice. Fowler completed his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in strategic leadership from Trident University International.
He has served as an ordnance officer and a logistical officer. Effective in 2012, he was selected to serve as an acquisition officer. He has more than 19 years of military service, numerous articles published within the Army Logistics & Technology magazine, is a recipient of the Ordnance Order of Samuel Sharpe and received a by-name request to serve as the executive officer for a major general in Afghanistan.
Fowler is stationed at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. He serves as the senior acquisition officer and deputy for the Combat Development Division within the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
His awards and accolades include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities and Who’s Who in America.
During 2020 he was nominated as the Defense Industry Industrial Association’s Military Test Officer of the Year.
in 2008, Fowler created Fowler Estates LLC. He owns more than a dozen properties throughout the southern U.S., including investment properties in Atlanta, Northeast Georgia, and North Carolina. He has established a scholarship program for high school students in the Virgin Islands pursuing careers as Army officers. As of December 2020, Fowler Estates exceeded $2.4 million in assets.
Fowler and his wife Edith are the proud parents of two daughters, Kayla and Kaleigh.