Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. -- Can man take steps during his life to create and shape his legacy, or is that something that can only be appreciated and realized after his death? According to family and fellow Marines, a healthy mix of both created a legacy that Marine Corps recruits will learn about for generations to come.
Harris’ family and friends, along former and current Marines from across the country, gathered at a dedication ceremony at Weapons and Field Training Battalion, Edson Range, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 19, to ensure his legacy will never be forgotten and to honor the man and Marine many remember as being the ultimate professional who gave all to protect his brothers.
Harris was killed in action on July 1, 2010, while serving as a member of Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, in the Garmsir District, Helmand Providence, Afghanistan. On that day, his squad was engaged by enemy fire and he boldly maneuvered his men to outflank and close with approximately 40 enemy fighters who were using small arms and medium machine guns. He and his team suppressed the enemy to facilitate movement to a covered position. When one of his squad members was shot in the leg, Harris immediately, and without regard for his own life, left the covered position to return him to safety. Moving through a vineyard and carrying the wounded Marine, Harris struck an improvised explosive device, absorbing most of the blast with his body. While his injuries proved fatal, he was able to save the life of another.
According to Ian Gilbert, fellow 3/1 Marine and squad member, Harris was just plain hard not to like. One would be hard pressed to find anyone who would say a bad word about him.
“He carried himself in a way the made people gravitate to him. He commanded respect, especially at his job in the Marine Corps, and everybody looked up to him,” said Gilbert. “He had a larger than life persona, and he was always the life of the party. He loved to be the center of attention.”
While much of recruit training takes place at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, the pinnacle of training, the rite of passage all Marines endure, the Crucible takes place 45 minutes north of the depot at CPEN.
“The Crucible is a 54-hour endurance event that challenges these young men like never before,” said Col. Christopher Nash, commanding officer, WFTBN. “They eat no more than one MRE a day and have less than four hours of sleep. They march 49 miles on foot and conduct 24 obstacles that require them to rely on each other to make it through.”
Award citations of Marines who have died in combat are tied to every obstacle, each one depicting how the Marine brought the Corps’ values of honor, courage and commitment to life. Formerly known as the John Quick Trail, the newly named Harris Trail will require recruits to utilize hand and arm signals, team formations and learn IED awareness skills.
During every iteration of the Crucible, the recruits, more than 17,000 who pass through MCRDSD annually, will learn about Harris and how he believed that honor, courage and commitment aren’t just three words painted in yellow on a wall. It was his identity. It was who he was, according to his fellow squad member Ricardo Reyes.
His mother, Lora Smith-Merriweather, believes her son loved the Marine Corps and would go to any extend to protect his fellow brothers and allow Americans to have the freedoms they enjoy.
“I appreciate his courageous spirit. I appreciate you for honoring and helping ease the pain of Larry not being with us. This cannot bring him back, but I, as a mother, appreciate the fact that while Larry is not with us, the memories linger on.”
Harris’ heroism didn’t begin with his actions in combat that day. He was previously awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for pulling a man from a vehicle that wrecked on Interstate 5 in southern California, further proving his compassion for others and constant unselfishness.
Harris is only the second Marine from the Global War on Terrorism and the only Marine from Operation Enduring Freedom with an obstacle named after him. His story will be retold for generations of Marines who come through training as an example of what is right and who they should emulate, said Nash.
“hope this citation going up today brings some sort of peace to his family and to my fellow Marines of 3/1, knowing that once again he is where he belongs being looked up to and being respected by a new generation of Marines,” said Gilbert. “For that brief moment in time, when the recruits come to the obstacle and stand at attention to read and learn about Cpl. Harris, he will be the center of attention once again, which he so well deserves.”