Harrison C. Summers (July 12, 1918 – August 3, 1983) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

soldier and a decorated war veteran. He served with the 1st Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. The 101st is designed to plan, coordinat ...

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 ...

Early life

Summers was born in

Marion County, West Virginia Marion County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,205. Its county seat is Fairmont. The county was named in honor of General Francis Marion (''ca.'' 1732–1795), known to history as ...

, one of six sons to William L. Summers and Florence Swisher. Summers worked as a coal miner in

Rivesville, West Virginia Rivesville is a town and former coal town in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 830 at the 2020 census. Geography Rivesville is located at (39.530276, -80.119063) in the heart of the Fairmont coal field on the no ...

. A bridge there is named in his honor.

Military service

On June 6, 1944, Summers landed as part of the first night drop of troops during the

American airborne landings in Normandy American airborne landings in Normandy were a series of military operations carried by the United States as part of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy by the Allies on June 6, 1944, during World War II. In the opening maneuver of th ...

. His unit had captured Saint-Germain-de-Varreville, France, near Exit 4 off Utah Beach. Summers and 15 soldiers were ordered by 1st Battalion commander, Lt Col. Patrick Cassidy, to capture a building complex nearby designated "WXYZ" on the field order map. The buildings turned out to be the barracks for 100 or more German soldiers. Summers led the attack, charging inside with his

Thompson submachine gun The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun", "Chicago typewriter", or "trench broom") is a blowback-operated, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by Brigadier General John T. Thompson, a United States Arm ...

. He had ordered the others to follow, however only Private William Burt and Private John Camien followed him while the other soldiers stayed behind. He and the two others cleared out the buildings. Five hours later, the position was clear, and Summers killed more than 30 German soldiers. Summers received an honorable discharge on November 30, 1945, as a 1st Lieutenant. Summers was twice nominated for the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for his efforts that day. However, he was instead awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. World War II historian

Stephen Ambrose Stephen Edward Ambrose (January 10, 1936 – October 13, 2002) was an American historian, academic, and author, most noted for his books on World War II and his biographies of U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. He was a long ...

described him this way:

Summers is a legend with American paratroopers ..., the
Sergeant York Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), also known by his rank as Sergeant York, was an American soldier who was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor fo ...
of World War II. His story has too much
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
/Hollywood in it to be believed, except that more than 10 men saw and reported his exploits.

Death

Summers died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

on August 3, 1983. He was buried in Beverly Hills Memorial Park in

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Monongahela River in North Central West Virginia and is the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the 2 ...

. After his death, his friends and fellow soldiers tried to get him posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor; however the effort failed.

Dramatizations

*'' Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30'', in which the character Sergeant Matt Baker is modeled on Summers and "WXYZ", as well as

Purple Heart Lane The N13 is a trunk road (route nationale) in France between Paris and Cherbourg. Route Paris to Évreux, km 0 to km 91 The road begins at Porte Maillot, one of former gates in western Paris, in direct alignment with the Champs-Élysées. Continu ...

/ Cole's Charge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Harrison C. 1918 births 1983 deaths People from Marion County, West Virginia Deaths from lung cancer in Virginia United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Army soldiers Military personnel from West Virginia

Early life

Military service

Death

Dramatizations

See also

References