Joseph Dutch Bowers (December 13, 1896 â April 27, 1936) was the first man to attempt an escape from Alcatraz prison.oseph Bowers was by all accounts a desperado and loner, unable to come to terms with the conditions of Alcatraz.
However, the National Archives notes with some relief that millions of documents were lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) before the fire occurred, so at least those military records werenât destroyed. How VA Uses The 1973 Fire As An Excuse. An issue that comes up â much too frequently â is VAâs claim that a Veteranâs records were destroyed in the 1973 NPRC fire. VA Regional Offices often deny benefits claims by explaining â[t]hey could not obtain the records, and ...
32 VA History in Brief. Chapter 10 A Look at Todayâs VA VAâs commitment to caring for veterans, spouses, survivors and dependents is long lasting: The last dependent of a Revolutionary War veteran died in 1911; in May 2006, three children of Civil War veterans were still drawing VA benefits.