LeRoy (Tex) Harris: Pacific War Naval Ace
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy
Written by Carl Bodiford – Heroes are harder to find than you might think. It’s my opinion that they typically don’t want to be noticed. They will burrow deep into the minutia of historical events in hopes of escaping our notice. But on occasion we find them anyway. I recently experienced one of those serendipitous moments when skimming through a scrapbook of World War II Brown County servicemen in the Brown County Museum of History.
It was a small faded clipping from the Brownwood Bulletin informing the community that Lieutenant Commander LeRoy Harris had visited his mother Mrs. W.T. Harris who lived at 1216 Austin Avenue while on leave in December 1944. In a matter – of – fact manner, the article added that Commander Harris had been credited with destroying twelve Japanese aircraft while operating from “a carrier” somewhere in “the Pacific.” I don’t think he wanted to be found, but in my clumsy way I tripped over LeRoy (Tex) Harris, another hero of Brown County.
Lt. Commander LeRoy E. Harris Brownwood Bulletin c. December 1944
LeRoy Ernest Harris was born in Valley Mills, Texas in Bosque County on July, 9. 1915. I have been unable to uncover much else about him other than that his hometown of record was Brownwood and as mentioned earlier, his mother lived in Brownwood in 1944. I think it is safe to assume that LeRoy was a young man of intelligence and ability in that he graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in 1939.
The next we hear of Harris, he is a Lieutenant Commander and Executive Officer (2ndin Command) of VF – 2 (Fighting Squadron 2) on the U.S.S. Hornet. BetweenMarch and December of 1944, Harris participated in operations in the central Pacific that dealt a mortal blow not only to the Japanese surface fleet but also to the Japanese naval air arm. By the time Harris returned home on December 18th, he had been awarded the Silver Star with one gold star and the Distinguished Flying Cross with one gold star.(In 1947, Harris was awarded two additional gold stars for his D.F.C.) Of Commander Harris one citation states, “His courage, skill and utter disregard for personal safety were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”
Lt. Commander (Tex) Harris from photo in Life Magazine,Oct. 23, 1944
Harris served as Executive Officer of one of the most noteworthy naval fighter squadrons of World War II. Between November 1943 and September 1944, the “Fighting Twos” also known as “The Rippers,” participated in some of the most significant naval engagements of the war. The squadron began combat operations attached to the U.S.S. Enterprise and between November 1943 and January 1944, flew escort and bombing missions in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign. In March 1944, “The Rippers” were deployed to the U.S.S. Hornetand during the period between March and October of 1944 gained notoriety for their contributions in Central Pacific campaigns. During this period, members of VF – 2 destroyed 240 enemy planes in the air. This count was second among the forty – four naval fighter squadrons listed on the Acepilots.com website. “The Rippers” had more “aces” than any other naval squadron with twenty – eight aviators who had destroyed at least five enemy planes in aerial combat.
VF – 2 Squadron Patch
VF 2 Pilots manning their Grumman F6F Hellcats on the USS Hornet before a raid against the island of Truk, May 1944
“Ripper” F6F Hellcats Preparing for takeoff from the U.S.S. Hornet
The 1stbattle of the Philippine Sea (June 19 – 20, 1944) was a crucial moment in the course of the naval war in the Pacific. Japanese military planners had waited for a time when they considered American forces to be vulnerable to launch kantai kessen (decisive battle). The goal was to surprise the American fifth fleet. The battle was indeed a decisive victory – but for the Americans. Three Japanese carriers were sunk and in two days of fighting, over 600 Japanese planes were shot down with a corresponding loss of 123 American planes. Aviators of VF – 2 claimed forty – seven kills during this period. The air battles were so one – sided that the engagement has gone down in naval history as the “Marianas Turkey Shoot.” Five days later, the “Fighting Two” destroyed sixty – seven additional enemy planes in a fighter sweep over the island of Iwo Jima.
Hellcat crash landing on the deck of the U.S.S. Hornet – Life Magazine, October 23, 1944
Lt. Commander Harris was awarded the Silver Star for actions in combat on September 21, 1944 near the Philippine Islands. While leading his division of planes in escorting a bombing mission, Harris destroyed two Japanese fighters while others in his group added another eight confirmed kills. On the return trip to the Hornet, Harris, though out of ammunition, dove into a formation of three enemy fighters attacking the American bombers. His quick and fearless action caused the attackers to break off and head for home. The impressive record of the “Rippers” drew the attention of Life Magazine, which dedicated a seven page story in its October 23rdissue to the aces of the ‘Fighting Two.”
If Captain Harris (his rank at retirement in 1966) could speak to us, I am confident that he would stress the minimal significance of his contribution to victory. His twelve kills (9.5 official) is but a miniscule portion of the total number of Japanese planes destroyed in the Pacific Theater. But the citations for the decorations awarded to this Brownwood native distinctly reveal the character of an influential leader whose actions spurred others to do courageous acts. Some of the words from citations describing Harris’s military actions include: “conspicuous gallantry,” “intrepidity,” “devotion to duty, without regard to his own life,” “extremely competent leadership,” “judgment,” “inspiring devotion to duty,” “alertness and skill,” and “unusual leadership, resourcefulness and courage.”
Allied victory in the Pacific, nevertheless, required more than courage and competence of the combatants. Victory over Japan was largely the consequence of the simple fact that American planners, designers and workers on the home front provided more and better weapons than those available to the Japanese. For example, the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the fighter plane flown by most naval squadrons in 1944, was faster, better armed, more durable, and provided better protection for the aviators that flew it than those planes available to the Japanese. In addition, long – range radar gave American commanders ample time to identify and intercept Japanese attacks. Such advantages and many others provided by a unified nation were essential to the ultimate victory of the United States.
My thoughts keep going back to the darkening pictures of the men in the scrapbook at the back of the Brown County Museum of History. They too contributed to victory. I’m so fortunate that “researcher luck” intervened to allow me to become acquainted with Lt. Commander Harris. I’ll admit a bit of personal frustration. I scanned those Brown County faces and names for over a year before I noticed LeRoy Harris. So I wonder… what acts of heroism of those other hundreds of servicemen have gone unremembered? I fear that most of these heroes, with the assistance of time, have been successful in concealing their acts of service. It is likely that no amount of research will suffice to uncover their notable acts of personal sacrifice. They are, nevertheless, a valuable legacy for our County. I choose to believe that every person remembered there in that scrapbook acted out of self – denying patriotism for their nation. It is a humbling thought.
Bow of the U.S.S. Hornet, May 1944
Captain LeRoy Harris, 1966
