Victor Harris Jr (1925 - 2023)

Ancestors Descendants

Biography

Victor Harris, Jr. circa 1932-1934

Victor Harris was born 30 July 1925 in Huffman, Texas to parents Victor Harris, Sr. and Mattie Della Tabor. In his early years, Victor attended the local grade school and worked on the family’s farm helping to raise the crops and animals. As a freshman in High School, Victor tried out for the football program, but received a knee injury that took him out of the running for the team. Instead, he took up recreational boxing (sparring) under the tutelage of a high school Coach that had competed regionally as a heavy-weight boxer. Victor Graduated from Crosby High School in May 1943.^[1]3 months and 4 days after his 18th birthday, 3 Nov 1943, Victor enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps^[2] and travelled to Fort Sam Houston where he completed his basic training. After being rejected from pilot training due to his existing knee injury, his commanding officers realized he could type and was transferred to Greenville Air Force Base in Greenville, Mississippi where he worked for "several weeks, months, whatever it was", as a Clerk Typist. As a Clerk Typist he compiled and typed reports on daily unit activities.

While at Greenville, he became acquainted with the classification officer (Lieutenant) at the Fort Headquarters to whom he turned in his daily reports to each morning. When he turned in his reports, Victor and the Lieutenant would chat briefly, which was apparently within earshot of the Major’s office. One morning, the Major came out and spoke with Victor and asked if he would like to stay in Greenville, or if he wanted to do something else in the military. If had wanted, he could have stayed at Greenville for the duration of the war - but he wanted to be useful. Victor told the Major, "I would like to go on about my business; I would like to fly."^[1]

The Major approached Victor a few days later and offered him two paths; he could either attend an aircraft mechanic school coming up within the next 6 months, or he could leave immediately and be transferred to Gunnery School - "So I went to Gunnery School. Fort Myers, Florida."

Buckingham Army Airfield Lee County, Florida, circa 1944

Historical Note: Buckingham Army Airfield was a United States Army Air Forces base, located approximately 10 miles east of Fort Myers, Florida. Established in 1942, Buckingham was the largest airfield in the State of Florida at the time. Its primary purpose and mission during World War II was to train the aerial gunners who would defend bombers. ^[3] Fighter pilots were trained at the nearby Fort Myers Army Air Base (later Page Field Army Airfield) and performed gunnery practice at Buckingham Field.^[4]

While stationed in Florida, Victor earned another stripe (now a Corporal). He received notification one morning that he was listed as a "super numeral" (possibly meant supernumerary - functioning as a substitute or assistant with regard to a regular body or staff^[5]), which meant that he was listed as a fill-in candidate for the next assignment in the event one of the candidates in front of him could not pass their test. While he missed out on that particular assignment opportunity, he was then classified at the top of the list for the next batch of candidates. When the next assignment was drawn he was transferred to Lemoore Army Air Field, located nine miles southwest of Lemoore, California, and was subsequently transferred to Hammer Field located in Fresno, California for "training with the plains."^[1]

Historical Note: Fresno Army Air Base was officially opened on April 3, 1941, and became Hammer Field in January 1942. In 1944 the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group was inactivated and replaced by the 319th Wing of the 450th Army Air Force Base Unit. The 319th Wing completed training for six new Night Fighter Squadrons: the 426th, 427th, 547th, 548th, 549th, and 550th which deployed to both the China and Pacific Theaters with the Northrop P-61 Black Widow.^[6]

Victor participated in training runs through the desert and valleys of California from Hammer Field in 1944. The crews would practice gunnery maneuvers and made several bombing runs through Air Force created training courses. "You would be surprised at some of the junk we flew. The old A-20 [Douglas A-20 Havoc], which was a twin-engine attack plane as they called it. It had machine guns, but it also had a bay for bombing. Well, they had those rigged up for us as Night Fighter planes. They had those A-20’s, and a couple of B-26’s [Martin B-26 Marauder] which was [sic] bombers; they had them rigged up for us to use."^[1]

"Then the time came and we got a P-61 [Northrop P-61 Black Widow]. At the time, Loy [Robert Loy] was still my pilot, and he came to me and said ‘We got a P-61! We drew for them and we won!’." On one of the training runs in the new P-61, through what the guys referred to as "Maggie's’ Drawers, among other things" they made a pass up a sleeve [ravine] practicing their gunnery maneuvers with colored ammunition, including, red, blue, green, and orange. "Did you know that the blue’s came out? And it was me and Loy. They said we had literally ate that sleeve up." On another run, escorting a bomber, there was a pilot who failed to pull out of a dive and crashed into the side of the mountain, which ceased many of the future runs while they investigated the crash. "We were pretty close to him when it happened, we could feel the concussion of the explosion. Malfunction of the airplane they called it. He lost power and couldn’t pull it up. No controls."^[1] In addition to his gunner training, Victor was responsible for assigning guard details, which was a job he was not fond of. Upon approaching one of the senior enlisted men one day, he was informed that the man 'would not be pulling duty'. Victor instructed the man to either report for his duty, or he would be turned over to the Major; at that time, the man swung at Victor, and his boxing instincts took over and he laid the man on his back with a few solid punches, even though he was heavily outweighed. Victor called for the medics to fix up the senior enlisted man and return him to his post.

548th Night Fighter Squadron emblem

Paul M. Herron Crew, shown L-R: Victor Harris (G/O), Paul Herron (Pilot), Winston Puttick (R/O)

After his training at Hammer Field, Victor and the remaining recruits in his class were transferred to Ie Shima where they met up with the rest of 548th Night Fighters who had recently transferred from operations around the Mariana Islands. He settled into the airfield complex with his unit, and was assigned as the gunner observer to a crew with Paul Herron (pilot) and Winston Puttick (radar observer), where they and other crews performed night interceptor patrols over Okinawa, night penetration raids, and weather observations in order to support the B-29’s [Boeing B-29 Superfortress] bombing the Japanese home islands.^[1]

In an excerpt from Kamikazes, Corsairs, and Picket Ships: Okinawa 1945:^[7]

Wednesday, 7 August and Thursday, 8 August 1945
While other P-61's patrolled to the North of Ie Shima, pilot 2d Lt. Paul M. Herron, radar observer Lieutenant Puttick and gunner observer Cpl. Victor Harris, Jr. flew their Black Widow near RP Station # 9A. At 0245 they made contact with a bogey at nine miles. After they closed to 500 feet the enemy plane spotted them and took violent evasive actions. On three more occasions the P-61 closed to 500 feet, but each time the plane banked, turned and dove away. Finally the Japanese plane escaped.

Victor indicated that this was the longest flight they had, in which a single shot was never fired. It was also the most confusing. "We were so low that the water was lapping up onto the cockpit windows, but the last we saw of him, he dove 'down' and disappeared. We think he may have crashed in the ocean."^[1]

While stationed at Ie Shima, Victor was able to watch the dedication of the Ernie Pyle Memorial, and also attended a USO Camp Show featuring Kay Kyser.

Kay Kyser Big Band USO Show (top) Ernie Pyle Memorial Dedication (bottom)

One harrowing night in a routine flight, the Herron crew crashed and was subsequently picked up by a patrolling PT Boat. Pilot Herron sustained a severe head injury, and Victor pulled him from the cockpit to safety. After they were rescued, Herron was transferred in order for his injuries to be treated. The last Victor had heard, Herron passed away from the injures he had sustained.^[1] See the research notes for more on Paul M. Herron.

After the crash, Victor began serving with other pilots, filling in where needed as the gunner observer in order to maintain his service hours and points (see: Adjusted Service Rating Score).

Japanese Peace Delegation 19 August 1945

When the surrender of Imperial Japan was announced by Japanese Emperor Hirohito on 15 August 1945, Victor was fortunate enough to witness what many call "The First Surrender" of the Japanese delegation as they disembarked from the two “Betty” [Mitsubishi G4M-1] bombers on Iejima.^[1] The delegation assembled in the shade under the wing of an American C-54 Skymaster transport plane and were briefed by the island commanders about their forthcoming flight to the Philippines where they were to meet with military representatives for General Douglas MacArthur, where they would officially receive the terms for Allied occupation of the Japanese mainland and declare a formal Japanese surrender, and effectively marking the end of the war.^{[8] [1]}

421st Night Fighter Squadron emblem

With the occupation and surrender documents formally signed on 2 September 1945 aboard the USS Missouri, Victor was transferred to the 421st Night Fighter Squadron and became part of the occupation forces at Itazuke Air Base in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan situated on the northern shore of the Japanese island of Kyushu. When he arrived, he was put in charge of the 'facilities' that were intended to aid in an operation that worked with the local Japanese. Upon his arrival to the 'facility', Victor noted that it was "...just a wide-open area... a manufactured rifle- [shotgun-] styled building" that could barely be considered a facility of any sort. Among the materials laying around, were large pallets of lumber, in which he was instructed to have a kitchen and mess hall constructed; "I had some men that could carpenter, so I was lucky with that." After the kitchen and mess hall were constructed, he began work on a bunk area, and also enlisted the assistance of local Japanese women who would help with the cooking and serving. Victor was again responsible for finding a guard detail, which was a job he was not fond of due to the previous altercations this caused. He again approached an enlisted man to report to the post, and the man took a swing at him, but Victor deflected the swing and swung for the gut. One of Victor's men stepped up and told him to stay down, saying "You ever know <name withheld for privacy>?" to which the man replied he did, but stated that he didn't know what ever happened to him. Victor's man stated that "Harris done it. He'll come down on you like a swarm of bees." The man, although visibly angry, said he didn't want any part of that and reported for guard duty. In a later talk with Victor, he asked if Victor he would have really tied into him, to which Victor replied, "Yes sir, I would. I have tied into bigger men than you. I've got my butt whipped a few times, I ain't gonna deny it." After that night, Victor mentioned that he never had any other issues getting men to report for their guard assignments.^[1]

After figuring out a way to keep the old diesel boiler running for the kitchen and mess hall, Victor was once again approached by a Major who asked where he learned to handle these types of things. Victor responded that he listened to everyone, and could digest and figure out just about anything he set his mind to. The end result of the conversation led Victor back to the orderly room, where he once again worked as a Finance Typist Clerk, having to process officer pay vouchers, deduct meal expenses, and the pay out funds to the men at the station. ^[1]

After getting close to his discharge points (see: Adjusted Service Rating Score) in 1946, the Major asked him if wanted to stay instead of taking his discharge. He was promised the rank of Warrant Officer Junior Grade, and that the men would thereafter refer to him as Mister. Victor chose to take time to think it over, and while he heavily considered it, he ultimately decided he would like to return home to Texas.^[1]

Victor's first night home was on a Friday night in 1946. He spent the evening visiting his grandparents in his hometown of Huffman and a neighboring town, Highlands. Saturday evening, he borrowed his father's car and went to visit his sister, Cordelia, who was working in a small cafe in Crosby. While there, he met up with an old friend, Jack Alexander, who had just returned from the Navy himself. According to Victor:^[1]

We had finished up there and we were standing on the sidewalk, debating about what to do; what kind of mischief could we get into in Baytown? Anyways, the upshot was, Glorine, her mother, and another women came walking up the sidewalk. I recognized her immediately, and I said, 'Well, hello Glorine!' She replied back 'Hello' and that was it - she walked inside. Cordelia seen her walk in, and asked her if she had seen me outside. Glorine said 'He spoke to me, and I spoke back, but I didn't recognize him.'

She walked out of there, and she walked up to me. She should have never done that. So anyways, she apologized for not recognizing me. I told her I remembered her from day 1, and I knew her when I saw her. You came down there walking, and I decided right there that was as far as I needed to look for a woman.

That night, Victor followed Glorine to the local movie theater and then drove her home. When they arrived at her home, her dad came out (which he knew from previous encounters) and asked Victor, 'What are you doing here?'. Victor replied that he had a beautiful daughter he was after.

After many weekends of dating, Victor asked for Glorine's hand in marriage, but Glorine denied him, and told him 'to simmer down some.' A few weeks later, Victor asked again for Glorine's hand in marriage - and she agreed.^[1]

On 10 August 1946, the two were married. In an excerpt from The Liberty Vindicator:^[9]

The bride wore a white satin dress with a fingertip veil, carried a white Bible with an orchid in the center with tube roses and streamers around the edges. The veil crown was made of seed pearls.

Glorine and Victor had four children: Kenneth Wayne^[10], Michael Dale^[11], Susan Lynn^[12], and one other female child (unnamed) who died shortly after birth.^[13][14]

Victor passed away on 6 November 2023 in Baytown, Texas with two of his children by his side. He is interrred at Sterling-White Cemetery next to his wife of 64 years.

Research Notes

• Check with the Historical Society for yearbooks that may identify the boxing Coach (circa 1940 - Crosby and Huffman).
• Preliminary research has indicated that Paul M. Herron not only survived his injuries, but subsequently returned to the military. I found mention in obituary for a Paul M. Herron on 9 Sep 2005 that he served as a night fighter pilot, flying a P-61, Blackwidow. He also was a flight instructor in the Army Air Corps and Air Force in World War II and the Korean War. (Coincidence??) I have reached out to Paul's son, Paul Jr.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14} Harris Lineage Family Archives. "Victor Harris, Jr. Interview, Crosby, Texas. 27 March 2021." Interview by Steven Harris, 27 March 2021; audiotape, transcript, and notes privately held by Steven Harris, Crosby, Texas; 2021. Victor, grandfather of Steven, spoke from personal knowledge of his life and service with the United States Army Air Force.
2. ↑ The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Army Serial Number 38545379. World War II Army Enlistment Records, documenting the period ca. 1938 - 1946, Record Group 64, File Unit: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records).
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Buckingham Army Airfield," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, accessed March 29, 2021.
4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Page Field Army Airfield," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, accessed March 29, 2021.
5. ↑ Collins English Dictionary. "Supernumerary Definition And Meaning". 2021. Collinsdictionary.Com.
6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, accessed March 29, 2021.
7. ↑ Rielly, R. (2010). Kamikazes, corsairs and picket ships. Havertown, Pa.: Casemate, pp.331-332.
8. ↑ Account of Japanese Surrender Delegation Arriving at Ie Shima, Okinawa. 19 August 1945. Combat Air Museum. Topeka Regional Airport @ Forbes Field, Topeka, Kansas. Accessed 28 March 2021.
9. ↑ "Wolcik-Harris Marriage Performed Saturday". The Liberty Vindicator. Liberty Texas. Thursday, 15 Aug 1946; pg. 11.
10. ↑ "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch: 1 January 2015, Glorine Bessie Wolcik in entry for Kenneth Wayne Harris, 12 Oct 1947; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.
11. ↑ "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch: 1 January 2015, Glorine Bessie Wolcik in entry for Michael Dale Harris, 26 Feb 1950; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.
12. ↑ "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch: 1 January 2015, Glorine Bessie Wolcik in entry for Susan Lynn Harris, 20 May 1955; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.
13. ↑ "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch: 1 January 2015, Glorine Bessie Wolcik in entry for MM9.1.1/VDX7-RYJ:, 27 Mar 1952; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.
14. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch: 20 May 2014, Glorine Bessie Harris, 09 Apr 2011; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

• Paternal and Maternal relationships are both confirmed by an autosomal AncestryDNA test match between Steven Harris and Marion Harris, his great aunt. Their most-recent common ancestors are Victor Harris and Mattie Tabor, the great grandparents of Steven Harris and parents of Marion Harris. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: Grandaunt, based on sharing 824 cM across 28 segments.