[courtesy of "RWY"]
Grave marker for Orville Kenneth “O.K.” Harris and spouse in Sunset
Memorial Park, San Antonio (Bexar county), Texas.
O.K registered for the
draft in Amarillo, RX ca. 1941 and was inducted into the Army at
Lubbock, TX on 17 July 1942.
On 17 December 1942, Pvt
Harris was transferred fro Camp Toccoa, GA to Hq 3rd, 508 PIR.
On 23 July 1943 he was
elevated to the rank of Corporal and then on 6 August 1943 he was
redeslgnated as a T/5 which is the same pay grade.
He was promoted to SSgt on
18 December 1943 and was transferred to Company H.
SSgt Harris was severely
wounded on 20 June 1944 and, according to John DeLury, "his legs were
riddled with machine gun bullets"
That
eyewitness account is borne out with this casualty report which
documents SSgt Harris' injures as compound fractures of
the Tibia and Fibula, in both legs,
but with no nerve or artery involvement and that the wounds were
caused by machine gun bullets.
On 27 September 1944, SSgt
Harris was transferred to yhe hospital's detachment of patients.
The medical report states
that he was returned to duty after spending more than six months (194
days) in the hospital. He died not, however, return to the
regiment.
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