Mr. Harrell was born on September 2, 1921. After graduation, he entered the U.S. Army Air Corps in November, 1940, where he attended Officer's Training School and pilot training.
During World War II, Flight Officer Harrell flew 178 missions, or more, over the so-called "Hump" in the China, Burma, and India Campaign which supported combat troops with necessary supplies. Attached to the India-China Wing of the Air Transport Command, he accumulated over 300 hours of flight time on the air routes over the Himalayan Mountains, where pilots found the foulest flying weather in the world.
His airplane was exposed to an abundance of Japanese fighter planes, icing and flying at unusually high altitudes, often flying by instruments alone. During this period Lieutenant Harrell was awarded the Air Medal and in May, 1944 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the nation's second highest military decoration, for his extraordinary achievements in the face of the enemy.
After World War II, Lieutenant Harrell continued in the service, becoming an instructor pilot for the C-47, C-46, C-54, and the B-29 bomber. During this period he was promoted to the rank of Captain. From 1940 to 1952 he accumulated more than 4,740 hours of flying, both in combat and on weather reconnaissance missions in the South Pacific and over the skies of Korea. He received his Senior Pilot's rating in February, 1950.
On July 7, 1952 he was posted to the 54th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron on Guam and promoted to the rank of Major. While on Guam, he piloted his weather reconnaissance plane into thirteen typhoons and held the title of Operations Officer. The 54th supported combat operations during the Korean War and Major Harrell flew numerous missions. In addition to the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal, Major Harrell was awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster, the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon, the American Theater Ribbon, the World War II Victory Medal, the Pearl Harbor Medal, the Korean Service Ribbon, and the United Nations Ribbon.
On October 27, 1952, Major Harrell's plane was reported missing while on a flight between Guam and the Philippine Islands. He was 31 years old.
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