COL Harrison Laid to Rest
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 03:54PM Bottom Line Up Front: COL James Harrison Jr was laid to rest at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery yesterday after being killed in Afghanistan.
Yesterday I had the privilege of paying my respects to COL James Harrison, Jr., a soldier from Fort Leavenworth who was killed in Afghanistan last week. The memorial service was packed to overflowing, with mourners literally spilling out into the front steps outside of the military chapel. This was followed by a Mass and procession to the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery where COL Harrison was finally laid to rest.
Harrison was killed when an Taliban fighter wearing an Afghan police uniform, shot him at point blank range, along with the colonel’s driver Master Sgt. Wilberto Sabalu Jr.
COL Harrison was planning to retire but held off on the paperwork because he was asked to deploy to Afghanistan where his expertise was needed. He had been the commandant at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth before deploying to Afghanistan as a detention policy expert to train and command the Combined Forces Command Afghanistan.
Below is a letter to Harrison’s family and U.S. soldiers by the Afghan General in charge of the facility (bold emphasis is mine, not the general’s):
By: - Brigadier General Safiullah Afghan Military Detention facility Commandant and Khalid Osman his interpreter
It is with a heavy heart that I share with you today that the Afghan Government and its Army have suffered a tragic loss in support of Afghan Detainee Operations. Just days past, Colonel James W. Harrison, Jr. and Master Sergeant Wilberto Sabalu, Jr., lost their lives as a result of an insidious terrorist attack by an enemy of the Afghan and US Governments. It is difficult to express the deep sadness and sorrow that all of the Afghan Detainee Guard Force members and our friends are feeling at this moment. Both of these fine men are true heroes in every sense of the word and represent the finest that our Nations have to offer.
We have a very difficult time since that incident happened. Believe us that our family members are very upset and angry too. We pray for our lost brothers; we do not know how we can express our sorrow and condoles to his honorable wife Mrs. Harrison and his lovely hero sons, Braden, Ross, and Josh, and all of his friends. I know we are physically very far from you now, but our hearts, minds and feelings are so close to you. Please count us as a member of his family; I truly wish I was killed instead of him by that soldier. It would be a great honor to me and my team, it would not be a big embarrassment to us, my team and Afghan Army, had I died instead of him. We lost our best friend, who was a guest in Afghanistan, who came to help us, guide us, and show us what is the better way to run the mission successfully. I loved him much more than my brothers. He was a very active and enthusiastic man to work with; every day he came to meet me and helped me on my duties and affairs. I have lost many of my commanders, friends, soldiers and members of my family during the combats with the Russian army and Taliban party, all who were very close to me. But I did not feel so sad and disappointed then as now; I have a hard and difficult time. He always mentioned me the prayer time and encouraged me to pray with others together on time. He advised me so friendly and listened to my suggestions and accepted them. All members of Afghan Detainee Guard Force thought him as a member of their families. On that day every soldier of the Guard Force shot many rounds to the dead body of that soldier to express their sadness and anger. Just in the morning before the incident, he showed me his family photos and we had plan to go to USA together and he would introduce me to his family and we would participate to US MP conference in September in Missouri. I wish I could be with all you there and participate in the memorial ceremony. I have planned to come to USA to see honorable Mrs. Harrison and embrace COL Harrison hero sons, and explain to them how heroic, brave and kind was their father. I will ask from my mentor and US Army to help me to still provide this trip in September, to come and express my deep sorrow.
All of you must be proud of him, his service, and his braveness; it is a great honor to all of us to have a brave hero friend like him. It is very difficult to forget COL Harrison, but we also remember that to live in the world is not forever and all of us have to pass this way. If this life was permanent, Prophet Mohammad would be alive till now. Many people have lost their lives, but no one recorded their names in history books. COL Harrison’s name will be record as a one of the heroes in Operation Enduring Freedom in both history books of the USA and Afghanistan armies, which remains forever in the minds of generations.
I just wish all of you patience and calmness. I wish for his family long happiness and success, away from this sadness.
Best regards
B.G.Safiullah ‘Safi”
Afghan Military Detention Facility Commandant.
& Khalid Osman, his interpreter
May 10th, 2007
COL Harrison’s wife teaches kindergarten at the elementary school where two of my children attend. His family attended Mass at the same chapel. Fort Leavenworth is a tightly knit community so these deaths hit the community hard. COL Harrison was an extraordinary man and the praise lavished on him during the services were not obligatory; they were well deserved and completely sincere.
The walk to the cemetery from the chapel was, as expected, very profound. The horse drawn carriage with the casket was met with well wishers lining the side of the road with flags, signs and hands over heart or salutes. The wonderful Patriot Guard Riders lined the road in the cemetery. When the ceremony had concluded, many of the soldiers who attended stopped to thank the Patriot Guard Riders, many of whom are Vietnam Vets.
One poignant moment for me was when my husband, in his Class-A uniform, passed a Patriot Guard Rider with a flag sitting in a wheel chair with only one leg. My husband reached out his hand, thanked him for all the Riders do to honor the fallen heroes and they exchanged a mutual sign of gratitude one for the other. As an Army wife, the experience of witnessing a bond of brotherhood between veterans of foreign and current wars was a privilege I will never take lightly.
At the end of the day, soldiers and the families of the fallen, still support their missions even in the face of personal loss and tragedy. Selflessness may be the number one quality that sets the soldier apart from everyone else. There is a huge disconnect between the average American and the military community… and I’m more encouraged than ever to keep on fighting to let their stories be told and to support the soldier and the mission, which is honorable and necessary, so the rest of us can live in peace.
Blessings to COL Harrison and the entire Harrison Family.
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Reader Comments (9)
Aw, darn it, Amy. My condolences. That funeral probably had everyone in tears. May God rest this wonderful man's soul and help his family and friends with their grief. It sounds so pat, but I mean it with my whole heart.
God bless.
What an incredible letter from the Afghani General. To effect someone in such a way as that is a testimony to his honor and character.
truly, this is a loss, but this loss has effected many and a positive outcome is forthcoming for sure. Sadness and a heavy heart felt here.
Gawfer sums it up well. Clearly Col. Harrison was a remarkable soldier, a West Point grad and military police expert..but the heartfelt letter from the Afghan commander is particularly poignant, given the short time they worked together. We grieve with the family the tragic loss of husband and father as well as the 'band of brothers' at Ft. Leavenworth.
I was one of those in tears. Its hard not to cry when you are in the presence of such greatness and nobility. I wish i could be half the man Colonel Harrison was. He is a great American Patriot, worthy of all of our emulation. Rest in peace, warrior. You have earned your rest. We Soldier on hoping to attain to the eternal life you have inherited in Christ.
Wow, what a touching letter Amy. COL Harrison was a great man. Thank you for sharing all of this with us. I’m in tears.
That letter from the Afghan General is extraoridary. What really resonates here is that the host country truly believes in the mission and wants our help, and our soldiers are willing to provide it. This confounds liberals. Despite all their so-called compassion, they wonder why anyone would risk his life for someone else, proving they couldn't find "compassion" in the dictionary if it were written in braille (they are blind, after all).
My Family grew up with young Jimmy Harrison on Wurtsmith AFB MI. I recall many times when he and my brother (best friends) would come in through the door after football practice and gobble up all my moms potato salad. Jimmy got me through my first year of highschool. I was scared beyond words. When my brother offered me no support there was Jimmy. Though he was a senior then and seniors didn't associate with sophmores, Jimmy stepped out of ranks very often to offer me words of encouragement or just to check on me to make sure no one had treated me ill. My brother was one of the school stars along with Jimmy and it was Jimmy who advised me to throw off the peer pressure to be just like my brother and just be myself and pursue my own interests. To those who know him as "The Colonel" does any of this surprise you?
My father (A Smsgt then) wrote one of the letters of reccomention that helped get Col Harrison into Westpoint. He got in.... I still remember the party we threw for him at his folks house.Sadly, I remember the day he left too. Sad how we have to endure that again.
I'm 44 years old now and Jim always kept in touch with my family. Cards and letters. Christmas calls etc etc.
I wasn't so surprised to learn via the net how much he was loved by all those who knew him. Served above him as well as subordinates. I never got to know Jimmy as the Colonel. I can imagine many of you who served with him didn't either. I can't imagine that Colonel Harrison never treated anyone as better or worse than he is. I can imagine he treated everyone around him as if they were Colonels too.
My mom has taken this very hard. My Dad is quiet and somber. My brother isn't taking calls now. Its how he deals with it. He won't let anyone see him cry.I can't imagine how his wife and children are dealing with it. I can't imagine how his friends are either.
A serious blow was delt to the world today. One which I falter to think it shall soon recover. You just Can't replace Jimmy "The Colonel" Harrison.
Thank you for this...and thank you for posting the letter. I am Penni and Jim's niece, and I wished I had a copy of that letter, and now I can at least read it. So thank you..and the pictures are beautiful as well. Thanks for being there and supporting our family =)
Today I was deeply saddened by the news that COL Harrison was killed. I had the distinct honor of serving under him when he was the Commandant of the USDB. I remember that he impressed me greatly as a leader because of his quiet strength. He was one of the pivotal individuals that assisted me in my goals to become an officer, offering me advice on the upcoming changes that will occur. Even my husband was impressed when I spoke of COL Harrison. This man touched a lot of peoples lives in ways that cannot be verbally expressed. He was a very kind and fair leader to the soldiers that served under him. My family and I would like to offer our deepest condolences to his family in this time of need. COL Harrison will be greatly missed!