LAWRENCE — Al Khoury made sure this year that when the city observes Veterans Day, people will talk about the five Owen brothers who served in the armed forces — four of them in World War II.

"My uncles covered all the branches of the service — Navy, Air Force, Army and Marines," the 68-year-old Andover man proudly said as he looked at the faces of the five brothers mounted on the Wall of Honor unveiled Saturday in the parish hall of St. Anthony Maronite Catholic Church on Lawrence Street.

"If there was a fifth branch, one of them probably would have gone in it," he said.

The uncles always are on Khoury's mind this time of year, when the nation pays its respects to the men and women in the military. Their sister is Khoury's late mother, Isabelle.

This year, Khoury is sharing the brothers' war stories. He responded to a request for photos and biographical material from the church's Veterans Committee, which has been collecting information about its veterans since early this year.

The Owen brothers are the most siblings from one family among the 134 church veterans identified by the committee.

"It's almost like the five Sullivan brothers," Khoury said, referring to the most famous group of brothers who served in World War II. "But the Sullivan brothers were all in the Navy. And they were all killed in action. My uncles were the lucky ones. They all made it back."

The Sullivan brothers were killed in action during or after the ship they were on, the USS Juneau, a light cruiser, was sunk by Japanese torpedoes.

One of Khoury's favorite stories about his uncles involves Raymond, the only brother living.

"My Uncle Ray stole my Uncle Alex's Marine uniform and hitchhiked to California," Khoury recalled. "He (Raymond M. Owen Sr.) was 17 when he did it. He tried to enlist over there in California, but was too young. So he had to get his father's permission. They brought him back, and his father signed for him," he said.

Raymond M. Owen Sr., 77, was the youngest, but went on to make a career in the Marines, serving from 1950 through 1971. He saw active duty in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. He reached the rank of first sergeant. His medals include the Bronze Star with Navy Commendation Medal and the Purple Heart.

Alexander D. Owen served with the Marines at Guadalcanal, Guam, Vella La Vella and Tinian during World War II. He was a corporal.

The other brothers displayed on the Wall of Honor are:

Edmund N. Owen. He was in the Navy from 1943 to 1946, reaching the rank of seaman first class. During World War II, he served in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters and the Caribbean Sea. His medals include the World War II Victory Medal, American Area Medal, European-Middle Eastern-African Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Medal.

Joseph E. Owen was in the U.S. Army. He fought in Europe and in the Battle of the Bulge. He earned a Combat Infantry Badge.

Nicholas Owen was a technical sergeant in the Army Air Corps. He served in England during World War II.

The brothers' father — Michael Owen — was one of the four founding members of the church, said Khoury, who hailed the veterans celebration Saturday as historic.

"I think it's a wonderful tribute for our veterans and long overdue," Khoury said.

"We didn't even know how many (veterans) we had when this began. As you look around this room there's an awful lot of history here. You go from table to table and everybody has got a story," he said, looking at more than 240 people who were dining or checking out the Wall of Honor.

"This is the Lebanese contribution. So it's easy to get a little teary when you think of it. It brings a lump in your throat. These veterans are finally getting recognition," he said.

Meanwhile, Khoury's Uncle Ray, who lives in San Diego, is working to get the church's most famous veteran national recognition that he shunned while he was alive.

"Ray is working with his U.S. representative in California to see if he can get a Congressional Medal of Honor for Tommy Kattar," Khoury said. "For years, Tommy came here (to St. Anthony's). But nobody knew the story until he died."

Kattar was a highly decorated veteran, receiving the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, while serving in the U.S. Army's 120th Infantry, 30th Division. He retired as a sergeant.

He fought in the invasion of Normandy and in battles in France and Germany. Kattar received a combat commendation from his commanding officer in 1945 for killing 35 German soldiers, knocking out a machine gun nest, destroying an enemy tank, and saving the lives of two U.S. soldiers while under enemy fire.

Family members and friends recall that Kattar was a humble man who wasn't interested in the kind of recognition that his family and others have been seeking for more than a decade now, since his death.

His daughter — Christine Kattar — has been the leader in the campaign to get him the Medal of Honor posthumously. She was the catalyst for the yearlong project to honor the veterans of St. Anthony's.

Monsignor Peter Azar said "the wall" will remain intact, at least through the end of the month, "as long as church members feel there's a need," Azar said.

"Veterans are the defenders of the rules of the law," he told the gathering last Saturday. "We honor both living and deceased veterans for their duty to their country."

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