Leonard Roy Harmon (January 21, 1917 – November 13, 1942) was an American sailor who died in action 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 was posthumously awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for his valor. He is the first African-American man to have a US warship, the , named after him.

Life

Harmon was born in

Cuero, Texas Cuero ( ) is a city in and the county seat of DeWitt County, Texas, DeWitt County, Texas, United States. Its population was 8,128 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The city of Cuero got its start in the mid-19th century as a ...

, on January 21, 1917. He attended the segregated all-black Daule High School before working in livestock production. During the Great Depression, he performed various house and grounds chores for the owner of the historic William Frobese home in Cuero. He was 22 years of age when he enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in June 1939 at a

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

recruiting station. He reported for training in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, before reporting for duty on the cruiser on October 28, 1939. He trained as a Mess Attendant, one of the few jobs available to black men in the navy at that time. The basic job description consisted of serving food to officers and crew aboard ship. However, like all members of a ship's crew they were also trained in

damage control In navies and the maritime industry, damage control is the emergency control of situations that may cause the sinking of a watercraft. Examples are: * rupture of a pipe or hull especially below the waterline and * damage from grounding (run ...

and had stations to report to during

general quarters General quarters, battle stations, or action stations is an announcement made aboard a navy, naval warship to signal that all hands (everyone available) aboard a ship must go to battle stations (the positions they are to assume when the ves ...

. During his service, Harmon became a Mess Attendant First Class and was serving aboard the ''San Francisco'' during the

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal took place from 12 to 15 November 1942 and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles between Allies of World War II, Allied (primarily American) and Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, Imperial Japan ...

. On November 13, 1942, ''San Francisco'' was raked by Japanese gunfire during the battle, killing nearly every officer on the bridge. Harmon rushed in to evacuate the wounded. He was then assigned to assist Pharmacist's Mate Lyndford Bondsteel in evacuating and caring for the wounded. While the ship was being raked by enemy gunfire, Harmon helped evacuate the wounded to a dressing station. While doing so he deliberately stood between Bondsteel and enemy gunfire in order to protect his wounded shipmate. This action resulted in his death.

Honors

Harmon was awarded the

posthumously in March 1943. Additionally, two ships were named in his honor. had been provisionally named but was transferred to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

prior to completion. The served from 1943 to 1947 and remained in the

Reserve Fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully Ship decommissioning, decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothba ...

until 1967; it was the first US warship to be named after an

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

. Harmon's heroism was also commemorated by the naming and dedication of Harmon Hall, bachelor enlisted quarters at

Naval Air Station North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...

, on July 29, 1975, and with a state historical marker placed at the Cuero Municipal Park in 1977. A poster of him hangs in the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

in Washington, DC.

Navy Cross citation

References

External links

His marker at the Navy Mess Attendant School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harmon, Leonard Roy 1917 births 1942 deaths African Americans in World War II United States Navy personnel killed in World War II People from Cuero, Texas Military personnel from Texas People in food and agriculture occupations Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) African-American United States Navy personnel