Vietnam war casualty leaves legacy in Chillicothe
CHILLICOTHE— Chillicothe native Paul Harris was killed in Vietnam on March 13, 1967, at 19 years old. He was not memorialized until 2006, almost 40 years later.
Elsie Shabazz, Harris' sister, said her brother joined the Marines directly out of high school to help provide for his family. He would send letters home twice a month, asking his family to, "hold on, things are gonna get better... It's all going to be different when I come home."
Harris was scheduled to come home one week from the day he was killed in Vietnam.
He was inducted into the Marine Corps and was trained as an Aircraft Electronic Systems Technician.
Harris was part of the crew of Marine Corps Helicopter UH-34D. The helicopter was part of a mission to extract a reconnaissance patrol and received intense enemy fire on the approach to the landing zone. He had volunteered to be the crew chief for the mission.
The aircraft crashed, killing Harris and Lance Corporal Virgil Terwilliger. The aircraft commander, Major Samaras, was severely burned and died within a week. The only survivor was the copilot, Robert Swete. The bodies of Terwilliger and Harris were never recovered.
Harris was the first Marine from the city of Chillicothe to die in Vietnam.
Early Life
Paul Winiford “Dusty” Harris was born in Chillicothe on June 24, 1947. He was the son of Clyde and Elsie (Breckenridge) Harris. He was the oldest of eleven brothers and sisters, two of whom he never met.
He grew up on Washington Avenue and attended Chillicothe City Schools. He graduated from Chillicothe in the Class of 1965. He was an active member of the Boy Scouts and was employed by the YMCA and Public Transport, Inc., prior to joining the military.
He helped create the original Carlisle Hill star when he was in high school.
More: Star's storied history in Chillicothe
Reading through the guestbook entries of his obituary, many mentioned his big smile and friendly nature.
Shabazz has fond memories of playing in the snow with him in the winter and doing yard work together in the summer.
"He was so sharing and caring. He loved his friends. He was good to his friends. Whatever he could do for them, he did," Shabazz said. "He was just an awesome big brother."
The Memorial
Shabazz said her mom believed "he was coming home... we couldn't have a service for that reason."
Johna Pulver with the Ross County Veterans Service Office said it's possible that Harris' fate was uncertain, causing a delay in the memorial.
"I'm sure many years went by where they were basically just waiting... and hoping to hear something, thinking maybe he was a POW or missing in action," Pulver said. "For Vietnam, that could've been very possible."
Shabazz said the Chillicothe High School class of 1965, Harris' graduating class, arranged a memorial service to honor him in 2006, where more than 200 people gathered at Greenlawn Cemetary.
She said hearing Swete's account of what happened was one of the hardest things she's ever had to hear.
Swete traveled from Germany to Chillicothe for the service. Reliving the memory of March 13, 1967, was difficult, but Swete wanted Harris’ family to know what happened the day Harris and two others died in Quang Tri province.
"Paul was a superb example of an exceptional Marine," Swete told the family. "He was respectful of others and thereby commanded respect."
Swete presented Harris' family with medals and ribbons, including a Purple Heart and an American flag.
Michael Bruno, a classmate and friend of Harris, wrote a poem to honor his friend. Shabazz has the piece framed on her wall.
"Paul Harris got shot down in a helicopter, fell through space," the poem reads. "Dead with red blood, as good as anyone else's, for a hero. Dead and killing and war and warriors since then have never been, at least for me, abstract again."
The status of Harris continues to be listed as “Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered.” He has a memorial marker in Greenlawn Cemetery and is honored in the Veterans Memorial Park.
Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Vietnam war casualty leaves legacy in Chillicothe
