Posted by
M*A on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 8:17:47 AM
Col. James W. Harrison Jr.
47 years old from Missouri
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan
May 6, 2007
Duty, Honor, Country. Col. James Harrison Jr. embodied that
ethos, said his family. He was committed to the mission of the United
States in Afghanistan and spoke with great pride about the
accomplishments of the men and women with which he served. Col. Harrison was killed on May 6 when a Taliban fighter,
dressed as an Afghan police officer, shot him at point blank range at
Pul-e-Charkhi prison near Kabul. Also killed along side Col. Harrison
was Master Sgt. Wilberto Sabalu Jr. and two other soldiers were
wounded. All four men were working as mentors to Afghan troops
providing external security for the prison.
Harrison graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1981. He
also graduated from the Military Police Basic and Advanced courses, the
Combined Arms and Services Staff School, the Command and General Staff
College, the Army Inspector General Course, and the Industrial College
of the Armed Forces. He earned a Master of Business Administration from
Syracuse University and a Master of Science degree in national security
and strategic studies from the National Defense University. Before
going to Afghanistan in December 2006, he was assigned to Fort
Leavenworth as director of the School for Command Preparation at the
Command and General Staff College.
He is survived by his wife and three sons.
To read a letter from the Afghan general in charge of the detention facility, visit Amy Proctor’s site.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that
others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am
proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.
This Week’s Soldier Was Suggested By Gary