Band of Brothers: Remembering PFC Terrence Harris
Source: Unknown
Private First Class (PFC) Terrence Conant Harris was born in Okmulgee, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, on October 5, 1920.
Harris attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis but resigned after some time. He signed up for the draft in Del Rosa, San Bernardino County, California, on February 26, 1942. At the time, he worked as a sailor on the SS Permanente, a ship operated by the Matson Navigation Company, and made several trips to Australia as a merchant seaman. The sailing skills he acquired on the Permanente would stand him in good stead in 1943.
Terrence Harris enlisted in the U.S. Army in March Field, Riverside, California, on August 17, 1942. He volunteered for paratroop duty and was assigned to Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) almost immediately, as his name appears in a personnel roster dated August 31, 1942. His assignment made him one of the original members of the Band of Brothers.
On October 12, 1942, Harris was appointed corporal, and the following month, on November 24, 1942, he was promoted again to buck sergeant. On April 24, 1943, he got another promotion, becoming a staff sergeant.
On September 5, 1943, the men of the 506th PIR boarded the SS Samaria in New York Harbor bound for England. While at sea, Harris, a seasoned sailor, was apparently the only one to notice that the ship was heading toward the one in front. He immediately warned the crew, and a collision was narrowly avoided.
During their training in England, some hostility toward CPT Herb Sobel, Easy Company’s commander, grew, and Harris was one of the NCOs who threatened to resign unless Sobel was removed. As a result, Harris was demoted to private and transferred to another company within the regiment.
Harris volunteered as a pathfinder and jumped with Pathfinder Team C, led by 1LT Roy Kessler, on D-Day morning. Team C was scheduled to land on DZ C and was dropped at 00:27 hours, almost immediately coming under fire from the enemy.
PFC Harris survived the fighting on D-Day but was killed in action during the assault on Carentan by sniper fire. The Morning Report of Baker Company, 506th, states he was killed on June 18, but that was likely the day his body was discovered, as the battle for Carentan occurred between June 10 and 14, 1944.
Another Screaming Eagle had soared to the ultimate height. 🦅
PFC Terrence Harris was first buried at the temporary military cemetery Sainte-Mère-Église No. 1, at plot D, Row 6, Grave 111. He would later be reburied and rests eternally at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial of Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, at plot B, Row 22, Grave 16.
May he rest in peace.
Happy Birthday in Heaven, Jack.
Lest we forget. 🇺🇸