Harris, Terrence Conant “Salty”.

Harris, Terrence Conant “Salty”, born 05-10-1920 in Okmulgee, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, USA, the son of Albert Richard Harris Jr (1889-1971) and his wife  Myrtle, born Sheehan (1893-1937).. Terrence  enlisted in the US Army airborne infantry during World War II. He became a staff sergeant of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, US 506th Infantry Regiment while at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, but Harris and Myron N. Ranney were both demoted to Private for attempting to mutiny against Herbert Maxwell Sobel in England in 1944. He volunteered to join the pathfinders of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the US 101st Airborne Division. commanded by Major General Maxwell Davenport Taylor that is how he got his nickname Salty. Harris was one of the original Toccoa men of Easy Company. He started as private, and quickly became one of the staff sergeants of the unit.

When Easy Company was shipped to England on the SS Samaria, Harris was the only one to notice that the ship was bearing down on the ship ahead. He instantly alerted the crew so the course of the ship could be adjusted. It could be only a couple a hundred between the Samaria and the other one.

Harris, along with Mike N “Mike” Ranney, were the two NCOs to start the mutiny against Easy Company’s commander Captain Herbert Sobel. They convinced other NCOs to participate and the NCOs threatened to resign their posts unless Sobel was removed. The next day Harris and Ranney were arrested by military police. Colonel Robert Frederick ” Bounding Bob” Sink busted both Harris and Ranney to privates. Harris was transferred to A Company of the First Battalion. Ranney was transferred to I Company of the Battalion, but was later able to rejoin Easy Company shortly before D-day.

Death and burial ground of Harris, Terrence Conant “Salty”.

Harris later volunteered to become one of the pathfinders of the 101st Airborne Division. Harris fought in the battle in Carenten, where he was killed by a sniper. Harris’s gravestone indicated that he was killed in 18-06-1944, but he might have been killed a bit earlier. Salty Harris was buried in the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Plot B Row 22 Grave 16

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