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Personal info

Full name
HARRIS, Erskin Parnell
Date of birth
16 March 1924
Age
20
Place of birth
Yell County, Arkansas
Hometown
Rover, Yell County, Arkansas

Military service

Service number
38512978
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Function
Squad Leader
Unit
C Company,
1st Battalion,
116th Infantry Regiment,
29th Infantry Division
Awards
Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
14 October 1944
Place of death
In the vicinity of Würselen, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Plot Row Grave
L 8 6

Immediate family

Members
Erskin Harris (father)
Mary V. (Mauberry) Harris (mother)
Noel W. Harris (brother)
Sidney R. Harris (brother)
Cecil B. Harris (brother)
Doris G. Harris (sister)
Mary B. Harris (sister)

More information

S/Sgt Erskin Harris enlisted on 1 September 1943 at Little Rock, Arkansas.

He joined his unit from a replacement depot on 22 June 1944 and was lightly wounded on 6 July 1944. He was promoted from Private First Class to Sergeant on 25 July and to Staff Sergeant on 18 August 1944.

In the group photo, Sgt. Harris, called Parnell by his family, is the second from the left. His brother Cecil Harris, who also served in WWII in Burma and China, is on the far right. This photo was taken the day before Sgt. Harris left home to go to Europe.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Family Tree / WWII Draft Card

Photo sources: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, Virginia Harris (niece), Sidney Rex Harris, Jr. (nephew) & Sylvia Harris, Peter Rosenboom