Okinawa Hero Keith Harrer Passes
Jonn loves to give me grief about the information I get from obituaries. So it’s only appropriate that my first replacement post comes from an obituary. In fairness, I don’t seek them out. I go where my keywords take me.
Today’s keywords drew to me to the news that a hero from Okinawa passed away on January 27th. Keith Harrer earned the Silver Star and Navy Cross in two amazing actions spaced apart by only 36 days. A portion of his Navy Cross cross citation reads that “Steadfastly refusing to leave his post for evacuation, he continued to man his gun and, after twice repulsing enemy attempts to put the machine gun back in operation, finally succeeded in destroying the crew as well as the gun itself. ”
You can read both of his citations at the Hall of Valor website.
http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=8301
Category: Historical
The local obits are where I’m getting my info, AvgNCO. Some of them appear with just the flag and nothing else, no dates related to service – nothing.
Wow. What a man.
Rest now, Brother. See you in a while … perhaps I can be of assistance then, spit shining your low quarters for Guard Mount at the Pearly Gates?
Sadly, another of ‘The Old Breed’ passes.
Infantry combat on Okinawa was brutally savage, and the Marines who fought there were pushed to the limits of human endurance.
Well done, Marine. And thank you.
Semper Fidelis.
Mick, and most came home and lived normal lives. They took the Hell that they lived through in the war to their graves. That’s what amazes me about my dad’s generation.
Indeed, sir.
Indeed.
Rest In Peace, Brother.
I am reminded of the favorite hymn of that old soldier Robert Lord Baden-Powell – “We Are Going Down the Valley One By One.”
http://www.hymnary.org/text/we_are_going_down_the_valley
A bartender friend of mine from the Emerald Isle used to refer to newspaper obituaries as the “Irish funnies.”
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Keith Harrer was 14. One guesses that as soon as he could, he enlisted b/c he was still too young to be have been drafted, trained, and shipped to the Pacific by early 1945. So, when he fought as he did on Okinawa, meriting first the Navy Cross and, later, the Silver Star, this Marine,a Purple Heart recipient, was all of 18–and a young 18 at that. Amazing. I chuckled when I read his just-the-facts-ma’am-style obituary. The chuckling came when I saw that he was retired auditor. I can’t help but wonder how many people he had business contacts with just dismissed him as a pencil-necked bean counter.
He was probably the neighbor next door who was quiet and spent time with his wife… raised a family and was a good father and husband.
Where do we find men like Keith Harrer?
Rest in Peace Private First Class Keith Harrer, United States Marine Corps – and condolences to his family and friends.
Exactly. One look at his obit told me that much. He lived life, no doubt with pain, but he lived life.
Another true bad-ass warrior goes to the Pearly White gates. Semper Fi Devildog and Rest In Peace!
I am humbled by men {and women} such as this.
RIP, Brother. You served your time in hell.
BTW, the private shared a birthday with a rather famous general: George Washington.
Rest in Peace, Marine.
One day, some number of years ago, I realized that the elderly men who moved slowly through the store checkout or struggled with their walkers going through a door might very likely be men who faced death many times, then came home and just went on with life. I learned patience that day.
Rest well, Brother.
And keep it real up top.
Anyone who is curious about how savage the fighting on Okinawa needs to do is look at pictures of Okinawa now and compare it to then.
Okinawa is a lush green paradise now. If you look at photos during the was damn near ever blade of grass was blasted off that place.