[DallasNews] Melvin Earl Harris was decorated for his combat service in both World War II and the Korean War.
He was 19 when he was wounded by a grenade during the Battle of Peleliu, a Pacific conflict that many Marines consider their most bitter of World War II. During the Korean War, Harris served in two major battles and nearly lost his feet to frostbite.
Harris, 92, died Dec. 16 in his sleep at his Dallas home.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Grove Hill Funeral Home, 3920 Samuell Blvd. in Dallas. Visitation will begin there at noon.
Harris was born in Tyler, where he graduated from high school. He was working for the Cotton Belt Railroad when he was drafted to serve in the Marines during World War II. He became a field artillery gunner, manning a 155 mm Howitzer in the Pacific theater.
Marine commanders expected to seize the island of Peleliu in as little as four days, but the fight against fierce Japanese resistance continued for more than two months.
After recovering from the grenade wounds he suffered there, Harris returned to combat during the Battle of Okinawa.
He received a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars for his World War II service. He was discharged in 1946, but he remained in the Marine Corps Reserves, becoming a sergeant.
It was while working for Magnolia Petroleum in Dallas that Harris was again called to active duty, this time during the Korean War. He took part in the Inchon landing in September 1950 and the liberation of Seoul the next month.
By 1951, the months of the frigid Korean winter had taken their toll on Harris' feet. He was sent to Osaka, Japan, for treatment for severe frostbite.
"They were going to amputate his feet ... and he told them 'hell no,'" Jackson said.
The frost damage to his feet earned Harris a second Purple Heart. His grandfather never recovered from the injury, Jackson said.
"He could walk," he said. "He was just one of those people who wasn't going to be told no. He had pain the rest of his life. His feet were always cold, especially when he was older."
Harris was discharged from the Marines in 1952.He was an accounting supervisor at Mobil when he retired in 1984. In retirement, he volunteered as a tax consultant for the AARP.
Harris loved to fish. He also enjoyed woodworking, painting and spending time with family at his ranch in Pecan Gap.
"He was one of a kind," Jackson said. "He was always there for everybody. He definitely set the example."
In addition to his grandson, survivors include a daughter, Mary Ann Hopp of Quinlan; a brother, Gene Harris of Tyler; another grandchild; six great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.