|
100th Birthday For WWII Veteran's Dedicated Wife
by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alexi Bosarge
October 10,
2021
Twenty-three-year-old Fran Harris watched
as her U.S. Marine husband, Dub Harris, walked towards the door
leaving for war, not knowing whether she would see him again and
wishing she could do more. So she did.
Fran Harris, now one of the world’s few
centenarians, celebrated her 100th birthday in Rapid City, SD on
September 11, 2021.
During those hundred years, Fran dedicated
herself to helping the men and women serving alongside her husband
in the military.
|
September 11, 2021Senior Airman Christian Luna, 22nd Force Support Squadron honor guardsman, presents a flag to Fran Harris, former secretary for the Base Supply commander at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., during her
100th birthday in Rapid City, SD. Harris, the wife of a
Marine WWII veteran and then Airman (inset image - WWII
era), worked at Ellsworth for 18 years as a secretary. (Image
created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Alexi Bosarge
and from Fran Harris.)
|
Her life began in 1921 in San Angelo,
Texas. It was here she met her husband and started a family. After
numerous duty stations as a Marine Corps spouse, her husband left
the service and later re-joined the military as an Airman and her
passion for helping service members grew.
“We would
constantly be bringing home however many Marines and Sailors could
pile in our car and my mother would feed all of them, sometimes
upwards of 40 people,” said Carol Briggs, Fran’s daughter.
For Fran, it just became a part of the routine.
“It was just
a way of life for me,” said Fran.
She wanted to do more, so
once her family settled in Rapid City Fran began working at
Ellsworth Air Force Base, as the secretary for the Base Supply
commander.
“Working at Ellsworth was some of the best years
of my life,” said Fran. “I loved being around the young Airmen, I
really felt like I was their family.”
Jay Harris, Fran’s son,
said that her drive to help the members of the Armed Forces
throughout WWII and the Vietnam War and her service to the Air Force
as a civilian are an inspiration.
Honoring her sacrifice as a
military spouse and Ellsworth employee, her family and the members
of Team Ellsworth joined together to present her a flag flown on a
B-1B Lancer.
“I served on Active Duty Air Force for 24 years
and I don’t think I had ever seen a flag presented to a civilian,
but it meant so much to me to see her given the flag because I knew
how much she had given to the Air Force,” said retired Master Sgt.
Jeff Harris, Fran’s son.
As members from the Ellsworth Honor
Guard began folding the flag, tears of friends, family, and
countless Air Force veterans filled the room. Fran couldn’t hold her
smile back as the flag was placed in her lap.
“I am so
thrilled to have been given the flag,” said Fran as she looked at
the flag sitting across the room. “I have such pride for my country
and the people that serve so it really just means a lot.”
Maj. Caleb Becker, 34th Bomb Squadron pilot, said that it was a
privilege to honor someone who dedicated so much of her life to
serving other people. He continued by saying her years of dedication
are an inspiration and a reminder of what it means to place service
before self.
Fran spent her life dedicated to serving those
who serve in the U.S. military and continues to share her legacy
with the Ellsworth community.
“Living for a hundred years is
pretty spectacular, but I also think about the many ways she served
the Air Force,” said Jeff Harris. “We are so proud of her.”
Our Valiant Troops |
I Am The One |
Veterans |
Citizens Like Us
U.S. Air Force |
Air National Guard
|
U.S. Air Force Gifts |
U.S. Department
of Defense
|
|
