Sergeant First Class Sowles was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was a medic with the Medical Company, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy near Kunu-ri, during his unit's withdrawal from the Yalu River. He was listed as Missing in Action while tending his wounded comrades near Yong Dong-ni, North Korea on November 30, 1950 and was presumed dead on December 31, 1953. Subsequently, his family identified photographs of him as a Prisoner of War. His remains have not been recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.