Meeting a true hero

  • Published
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  It's not often that you meet an individual who is a true example of an American hero; someone who truly lived the motto of service before self. However, one such hero lives right here in northern Mississippi. Retired Col. Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, who was a Vietnam Prisoner-of-War for nearly eight years, now resides in the nearby city of Tupelo, Miss.

Col. John Nichols, 14th Flying Training Wing Commander, sat down for lunch along with Mike Armour, Gubernatorial appointee Director of the Appalachian Regional Commission, Drew Robertson, Northern Regional Director for U.S. Senator Roger Wicker and had the opportunity to talk to Harris along with his wife, Louise, about their lives and was able to hear their stories.

Nichols said it was an honor to meet Harris and was truly honored for the opportunity. In 2007, Columbus Air Force Base named a street in Harris' honor. The street between the Fitness Center and Freedom park is now Harris Street.

On April 4, 1965, Harris, in his F-105 Thunderchief, was shot down over Vietnam, where he would spend 2,871 days as a Prisoner of War. Harris said his wife Louise was home pregnant at the time. By the time he was able to come home on Feb. 12, 1973, he had an 8-year-old boy, Lyle, he had never met before. He had also missed his two daughters, Robin and Carolyn, grow up as well.

Harris was one of four POW's responsible for the creation of the TAP code, their only way to communicate. In an environment of solitary confinement and forced total silence, where conversation was dealt with swift physical punishment, the TAP code was developed to clandestinely communicate with fellow prisoners. The TAP code is a five by five square matrix that represented the letters. Because they sounded similar, the 'K' was removed, and 'C' was used in its place. To tap a letter, a prisoner would tap a specific amount of times to represent the row followed by a number of times indicating the letter. By tapping, or even sweeping, prisoners were able to communicate, maintain a chain of command, and keep up their morale. New prisoners could learn the TAP code within the first few days of isolation.

Harris and 590 other prisoners of war were freed as part of Operation Homecoming 2,871 days later. After his survival in captivity of nearly eight years, Harris continued to serve after a few short months of hospitalization.

After the lunch had concluded, Harris demonstrated the TAP code by tapping GBU (God Bless You) as he and his wife said good bye.