Harold Douglas Harris (February 4, 1903 – September 20, 1984) was a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

officer with the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. Harris fought guerrillas in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

, and subsequently the Japanese in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, while commanding 5th Marine Regiment.

Early service

Harris was born on February 4, 1903, in

Laramie, Wyoming Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was estimated 32,711 in 2019, making it the third-largest city in Wyoming after Cheyenne and Casper. Located on the Laramie River in southeast ...

. He was appointed to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in Annapolis, Maryland, and graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in June 1925. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps during that time and assigned to Marine Corps Rifle Range in Winthrop, Maryland. Harris was subsequently assigned to the Marine Corps Basic School in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, where he was educated in warfighting skills required of a rifle platoon commander. After his graduation in 1926, Harris sailed for

, where he was wounded in action with Sandinista bandits on 19 February 1929. He later served foreign shore duty in Tientsin, China. Harris also attended

Infantry School A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. France ...

at Fort Benning,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and graduated in 1935.

World War II

In 1938, Harris was sent to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, where he attended Ecole Superieure de Guerre in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. With the outbreak of World War II, Harris participated in the evacuation of US citizens from that country. For his part in the evacuation, Harris later received a Letter of Commendation by William C. Bullitt,

United States Ambassador to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations we ...

. After his return to United States, Harris was assigned to

Headquarters Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The function, ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where he served as assistant to the officer in charge of the

Marine Corps Intelligence Marine Corps Intelligence is an element of the United States Intelligence Community. The Director of Intelligence supervises the Intelligence Department of HQMC and is responsible for policy, plans, programming, budgets, and staff supervision o ...

Section in the Division of Plans and Policies. He participated with Colonel

Pedro del Valle Pedro Augusto del Valle (August 28, 1893 – April 28, 1978) was a United States Marine Corps officer who became the first Hispanic to reach the rank of lieutenant general. His military career included service in World War I, Haiti and Nicaragua ...

in the study of division structures and made recommendations basic to later USMC, including triangular model (3 regiments, 3 battalions, 3 companies, 3 platoons, etc.) focus on logistics and artillery and tank transport (landing craft), and formation as an offensive organization. He remained in this capacity until July 1942, when he was transferred as intelligence officer to the staff of Commander Amphibious Force, South Pacific under Rear Admiral

Richmond K. Turner Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner (May 27, 1885 – February 12, 1961), commonly known as Admiral Kelly Turner, served in the United States Navy during World War II, and is best known for commanding the Amphibious Force during the campaign across ...

. Harris served in this capacity during the Guadalcanal Campaign. At the beginning of 1943, he was appointed chief of staff, Marine Forces (Less Aviation) Solomons. In June 1943, Harris was assigned as executive officer of

1st Marine Regiment The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1s ...

and served in this capacity during the

New Britain campaign The New Britain campaign was a World War II campaign fought between Allied and Imperial Japanese forces. The campaign was initiated by the Allies in late 1943 as part of a major offensive which aimed to neutralise the important Japanese base a ...

. For his service in this capacity, Harris was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal with

Combat "V" Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

. In February 1944, now Lieutenant Colonel Harris, was appointed intelligence officer and assistant chief of staff,

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is th ...

and served under command of Major General William H. Rupertus during the

Battle of Cape Gloucester The Battle of Cape Gloucester was fought in the Pacific theater of World War II between Japanese and Allied forces on the island of New Britain, Territory of New Guinea, between 26 December 1943 and 16 January 1944. Codenamed Operation Backhan ...

. Harris was appointed commanding officer of the 5th Marine Regiment on September 15 and led this unit during the

Battle of Peleliu The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II by the US military, was fought between the United States and Japan during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign of World War II, from September 15 to November 27, 1944, on the island of ...

Commanding at Pelelieu, he is known for the phrase "be lavish with ordnance and stingy with men's lives" after aerial reconnaissance convinced him siege tactics would be required, using artillery and napalm or 'blowtorch and corkscrew' instead of frontal assault. He was relieved of Command on October 20 and transferred back to the United States. For his service at Pelelieu, Harris was decorated with the Legion of Merit with

Postwar career

After his return to homeland, Harris was appointed instructor at the Army and Navy Staff College in

, and served in this capacity until March 1946. For his service in this capacity, Harris later received the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

. He was subsequently appointed assistant to U.S. Naval Representative on the Military Staff Committee of the Security Council, United Nations. He subsequently served as Marine officer on the staff of the commander of the Naval Forces, Mediterranean with headquarters in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He returned from Europe in October 1949 and was assigned to the

, awaiting retirement. Harris was also decorated with the

Order of Ouissam Alaouite Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, Degree of Commander, by the Government of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

in January 1950. He finally retired from the Marine Corps on January 1, 1950, and was advanced to the rank of

on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat on the same date. Harris resided in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal ci ...

, after his retirement and died there on September 20, 1984. He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Bartow, Florida.

Decorations and awards

Harris's military ribbon bar:

External links

Marine Corps History Division Publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Harold D. 1903 births 1984 deaths People from Laramie, Wyoming United States Naval Academy alumni École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit