Here’s another tale to add to Carteret’s ‘WW II Heritage’ tally

In 2021, another connection surfaced between Carteret County, N,C., and World War II, further strengthening the case to designate Carteret County as a “World War II Heritage Community.”

Whereas No. 17: One of Carteret County’ s World War II heroes was Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer surfman Glen Livingston Harris of Beaufort, who was born in Stacy.

 

A 154-foot Sentinel-class cutter in the Coast Guard fleet was named in his memory during ceremonies at Coast Guard Sector Field Office at Fort Macon in August 2021.

 

Coast Guard Adm. Linda Lee Fagan (shown below) commissioned the Glen Harris, while family members and dignitaries looked on. (Adm. Fagan became Commandant of the Coast Guard on June 1, 2022.)

 

While serving in the Pacific theater in World War II, Glen Harris and three other Coast Guard sailors piloted the first U.S. amphibious landing craft to arrive at Tulagi, one of the Solomon Islands, on Aug. 7-9, 1942.

Additionally, they made several trips while exposed to heavy Japanese fire to deliver ammunition and supplies.

“In September of the same year, Harris landed against forces at Taivu Point, Guadalcanal Island, thereby materially contributing to the enemy’s eventual defeat,” a Coast Guard spokesperson said.

Harris and his three Coast Guard colleagues – Daniel Tarr (shown below), Harold Miller and William Sparling – received Silver Star Medals on Oct. 2, 1942, Today, each has a Sentinel-class named in his honor.

 

This is all part of a plan that was instituted in 2010, credited to Master Chief Petty Officer Charles W. “Skip” Bowen (shown below), the most senior non-commissioned Coast Guard officer. He recommended that all 58 cutters in the Sentinel-class be named after enlisted sailors in the Coast Guard, or one of its precursor services, who had been recognized for their heroism.

 

For more than a decade, the Coast Guard has been working to replace its aging 110-foot Island-class patrol boat fleet with 154-foot Sentinel-class cutters.

Speaking for the Glen Harris family, Stacey Howley of Atlanta, Ga., said her grandfather, who died in 2005 at age 96, “was so very proud to have had the privilege to serve his country in the Coast Guard – so much so, that when his initial service term was over, he re-enlisted.”

“I believe if he were here with us today, he would most certainly say that his actions…were simply a reflection of the Coast Guard’s long tradition of life-saving missions and of putting others before oneself,” she said.

The Glen Harris, under the command of Lt. Reginald Reynolds, has been assigned to Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), with a homeport of Manama, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia. Its mission is to “equip, deploy and support mission-ready Coast Guard forces in the conduct of maritime operations across the Middle East for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (CENTCOM).

 

“The PATFORSWA squadron currently consists of six 154-foot Sentinel-class fast response cutters, a cutter relief crew and a 150-member mission support detachment in Bahrain,” the Coast Guard stated.

Also of interest, another of the Sentinel-class cutters (shown below) is named for Maurice Jester of Chincoteague, Va., who was the commanding officer of the Coast Guard cutter Icarus, which sank Germany’s U-352 on May 9, 1942.

 

Jester, who enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1917, advanced to the rank of Commander. He was awarded the Navy Cross during World War II.

 An official resolution proclaiming Carteret County to be worthy of designation as a “World War II Heritage Community” can never have too many “Whereas” statements. Send yours to swindsguy@gmail.com.