Charles Lee Harrison (March 21, 1921 – January 17, 2015) was a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

lieutenant colonel. He is one of just two Marines to be captured as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

(POW) twice, the first during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and the second during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Early life and World War II

Charles L. Harrison was born on March 21, 1921, in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

. Upon graduating from Sand Springs High School in 1939, Harrison enlisted in the Marine Corps. In August 1941, he was sent to

Wake Island Wake Island (), also known as Wake Atoll, is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The neare ...

as one of 449 Marines to defend the island. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Across the

International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...

just a few hours later on December 8, Japanese aircraft bombed Wake Island. While the Marines were able to repulse the first Japanese landing attempt on December 11, the Japanese successfully landed on December 23 and captured the island and all of the defenders.

First experience as POW

Private First Class Harrison and the other prisoners were held on the

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

, exposed to the sun with no food and little water for 54 hours until the evening of December 25. On January 12, 1942, the prisoners were loaded aboard the ''

Nitta Maru Nitta may refer to: Places * Nitta, Sweden, a locality in Ulricehamn Municipality, Västra Götaland County of Sweden * Nitta, Gunma; a.k.a. Nitta, Nitta, Gunma, Japan. A town in the district of Nitta of the prefecture of Gunma in Japan * Nitta ...

''. Harrison and the other enlisted personnel were kept into the cargo holds while the ship sailed to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. On January 18, the ship arrived in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

where some of the officers were sent to camps. Most of the prisoners, including Harrison, remained on the ship and continued on to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The prisoners arrived at

Wusong Wusong, Postal romanization, formerly romanized as Woosung, is a subdistrict of Baoshan District, Shanghai, Baoshan in northern Shanghai. Prior to the city's expansion, it was a separate port town located down the Huangpu River from Shanghai' ...

POW Camp in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

on January 24. Harrison was packed with 200 other men in a dilapidated

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

which offered little protection from the elements. An

electric fence An electric fence is a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter humans and other animals from crossing a boundary. Most electric fences are used for agricultural purposes and other non-human animal control. They may also be used to protect hig ...

surrounded the camp, which

electrocuted Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death. The term "electrocution" was coined ...

a few men who accidentally touched it. Harrison and the other prisoners were routinely beaten and were fed very little. In December 1942, Harrison and most of the other POWs from Wake Island were transferred to Jiangwan (now part of Hongkou, Shanghai), several miles away. The conditions at Jiangwan were slightly better than those at Wusong. However, from January 1943 to September 1944, Harrison and the other enlisted men worked

hard labor ''Hard Labor'' is the eleventh album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1974. For this album, the band replaced long-time producer Richard Podolor with Jimmy Ienner, who was known for his production work with the Raspberries ...

at a

rifle range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue, or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or shooting sport, competitions. ...

, and many suffered from

malnourishment Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

as a result of their starvation diets. In May 1945, Harrison and the other prisoners were transported by train 100 miles to

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

. By May 14, the prisoners were put in a warehouse outside

Beiping "Beijing" is from pinyin ''Běijīng,'' which is romanized from , the Chinese name for this city. The pinyin system of transliteration was approved by the Chinese government in 1958, but little used until 1979. It was gradually adopted by various ...

, where the conditions were worse than previous camps. On June 19, the POWs were put onto another train and travelled to

Busan, South Korea Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

, where the conditions were even worse than the conditions at Beiping. After three days, they were loaded onto a

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

and sent to the island of Honshu, Japan. Harrison and the other prisoners then got on another train which took them north, before ultimately getting on another ferry which took them to

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

. Harrison was held in a mining camp in Hokkaido for several more months until the war ended and he was released on September 7, 1945. Having spent 45 months in captivity, Harrison weighed just 110 pounds upon his

repatriation Repatriation is the return of a thing or person to its or their country of origin, respectively. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as the return of mi ...

. He had also contracted

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

and numerous diseases during his ordeal. Harrison returned to the United States and married his childhood sweetheart in 1946.

Korean War

Battle of Chosin Reservoir

When the

began in 1950,

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...

Harrison was assigned to the 1st Military Police Company,

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine (military), Marine Division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine E ...

, and took part in the

landing at Inchon The Battle of Inchon (), also called Inchon landing, was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved some ...

on September 15. During the

battle of Chosin Reservoir The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Battle of Lake Changjin (), was an important battle in the Korean War. The name "Chosin" is derived from the Japanese pronunciation "''Chōshin'', instead of th ...

, Harrison and other

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

men were attached to Task Force Drysdale, a composite force of

British Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a company strength sub-unit to the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG), landing craft cr ...

, US Marines, US Army soldiers, and South Korean troops. On November 29, 1950, the ill-fated task force fought its way through Chinese forces from Koto-ri to Hagaru-ri. Although the front of the convoy reached Hagaru-ri, the center was badly

ambush An ambush is a surprise attack carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position. The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an "". Ambushes as a basic military tactics, fighting tactic of soldi ...

ed and cut off.

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

John N. McLaughlin John Nicholas McLaughlin (September 21, 1918 – August 8, 2002) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general. During his 33 years of active service, McL ...

assumed command and the men expended most of their

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

while fighting in subzero temperatures throughout the night. After approximately 40 men had been killed another 40 had been wounded, including Harrison, the survivors surrendered as prisoners of war in the early morning hours. Also captured in that same convoy was

Chief Warrant Officer Chief warrant officer is a senior warrant officer rank, used in many countries. Canadian Armed Forces In the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member (NCM) rank for army and air fo ...

Felix J. McCool Felix James McCool (June 14, 1912 – December 27, 1972) was a United States Marine Corps chief warrant officer 3. He is one of two Marines to be captured as a prisoner of war (POW) twice, the first during World War II, and the second during th ...

, who had also previously been held as a POW during World War II.

Second experience as POW

Harrison and the other prisoners marched north for several weeks, usually at night and during

blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

s in order to avoid detection from UN aircraft. Many of the prisoners suffered from

frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when someone is exposed to extremely low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occ ...

and malnourishment, and they were also randomly

interrogated Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful inf ...

at times during their journey. By the end of December, Harrison and the other prisoners arrived at

Kanggye Kanggye (; ) is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 251,971. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). H ...

, near the Chinese border. Several of the POWs died during the march and shortly after arriving in Kanggye. The Chinese put Harrison and the other POWs through a rigorous

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

indoctrination Indoctrination is the process of inculcating (teaching by repeated instruction) a person or people into an ideology, often avoiding critical analysis. It can refer to a general process of socialization. The term often implies forms of brainwas ...

program for eight weeks. In March, Harrison made up a group of 60 prisoners (24 Marines) who marched south through

Tokchon Tŏkch'ŏn () is a ''si'', or city, in northern South P'yŏngan province, North Korea. It is bordered by Nyŏngwŏn and Maengsan to the east, Kujang county in North P'yŏngan province to the north, Kaech'ŏn to the west and Pukch'ang to th ...

, Yangdok, and then Majon-ni. Two Marines died during the march. After leaving Majon-ni on April 5, the prisoners were split into two smaller groups. Staff Sergeant Harrison assumed command of the group as they marched further south. Arriving at

Chorwon Ch'ŏrwŏn County () is a ''kun'', or county, in Kangwŏn province, North Korea. Portions of it were once a single county together with the county of the same name in South Korea; other portions were added from neighbouring counties in the 19 ...

on April 13, their captors told them that they would be released. Approximately 300 additional prisoners were brought into the area and they were kept in a temporary POW camp. On May 18, Harrison, 17 other Marines and a soldier were separated from the other POWs and trucked to

Chunchon Chuncheon (; ; literally ''spring river''), formerly romanized as Ch'unch'ŏn, is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the north of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River (Korea), Han R ...

. By May 24, Harrison's group was near the front lines when an artillery bombardment fell nearby. The guards all ran in the same direction for cover, while Harrison and the rest of the POWs ran in the opposite direction up high ground. The men evaded the enemy throughout the night. On May 25, Harrison's group spelled out "POWS – 19 RESCUE" using makeshift air panels they made from wallpaper from a nearby house. An Army reconnaissance pilot spotted the signal and radioed their position to a friendly unit, which promptly moved forward and rescued the 19 prisoners. Harrison's group of prisoners were the only ones to face indoctrination and escape captivity during the war. Harrison later reflected that his Japanese captors hated him, however he admired them because of their patriotic devotion to their cause. He thought the Chinese, however, were deceitful by pretending to be their friends.

Later career and life

Harrison stayed in the Marine Corps after the Korean War and was commissioned as an officer. He later served in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

before retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel on June 30, 1969. After retirement, he moved his family to the small town of Peardale, California, where he served as an auxiliary police officer in Grass Valley. Charles L. Harrison died on January 17, 2015, in his home in Peardale. He was buried in Saint Patrick Catholic Cemetery in Grass Valley.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Charles Lee 1921 births 2015 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War American prisoners of war in World War II American prisoners of war in the Korean War United States Marine Corps officers World War II prisoners of war held by Japan Military personnel from Tulsa, Oklahoma Korean War prisoners of war held by the People's Republic of China American people imprisoned in China