Jennifer J. Harris Guest Book

Over a month after her death, many people are still searching the 'net for Marine Captain Jennifer J. Harris, a member of the elite Purple Foxes helicopter unit who got shot down while conducting a medevac mission in Iraq. To be frank, I don't want to rationally examine why her death struck such a chord in me, but it did, and I'm far from alone in that reaction. Warriors die in war, such is the nature of desperate conflict. I don't know why it bothers me like it does, or why I've followed her story over others. Maybe she was an unwitting warrior, a professional who should not have been so casually exposed to enemy fire, or maybe that's just exposing my antiquated chauvinistic instincts which feel like women shouldn't be in combat, even if I know it's safer to be a soldier than a civilian on a modern battlefield. It jams my emotions and logic, setting them off against each other, and makes me nearly mute.

A few weeks ago, I went to Legacy.com and read all her Guest Book entries, but it seemed too maudlin or intrusive at the time to post here. Yet the entries keep piling up, and the nation finds her passing more significant than can be rationally grasped. Either way, those who knew her all testify of an uplifting, shining person who is deeply missed. Here is her commanding officer's entry:

February 14, 2007
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Harris,

I have known Jennifer for a little over a year as an Officer of Marines, squadron pilot and as a friend. She was a very special young lady whose grace, poise and charm brought life to this squadron. Her intelligence, drive and dedication brought her to great heights within this community, having attained the highest designation available to a CH-46E pilot, that of a Weapons and Tactics Instructor.

Jennifer brought out the best in those around her because she was so demanding of herself, yet understanding of others. She believed in her mission as a helicopter pilot and dedicated fourteen and fifteen hour days while deployed in Iraq to ensure that every mission was well coordinated and executed as safely as possible. She watched out for the young pilots in the squadron and took them under her wing. She used to kid that she was their mother hen. She was equally protective of her peers and those senior to her. She was after all, a Purple Fox. She was always professional but managed to make things pleasant with her endearing personality.

Since her passing, the squadron has been mourning her departure. A candlelight vigil has remained lit both day and night on the doorstep of her quarters. The first night there was a single Teddy Bear and a bouquet of flowers. Each night, another stuffed animal has appeared along with flowers, notes, and cards. Having so many flowers appear in an austere desert environment speaks volumes of her Marines Love for her. The Marines stand watch over the vigil at night to ensure the candles are not extinguished. They will do so until Jennifer arrives home in Swampscott and is laid to rest.

The squadron appears the same on the surface, but her absence echoes in all of our hearts. The emptiness we feel is nothing compared to the sorrow your family and friends back home must be experiencing.

Jennifer spoke often of Swampscott and would forward pictures of the waterfront to all the members of the squadron. She spoke of her friends who supported her back home with care packages, cards and letters. Jennifer was looking forward to visiting this Spring after her return. She spoke of sailing out in the bay and displayed a picture of her friend’s boat she was hoping to sail on this Summer. Her orders were taking her back to DC where she was only an hour flight away from her home and her family, who she always spoke of with great pride, affection and Love.

The squadron held a memorial service this past Sunday. The chapel was filled beyond capacity with grieving friends for Jennifer and her crew. An hour after the services concluded, over one hundred of her friends remained to console each other, tell stories and be close to others who knew her. Jennifer will live on in all of our hearts for she touched each and every one of us profoundly. Through our stories of Jennifer that we share with each other, she will visit us and grace us with her beautiful smile.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your entire family.

With Heartfelt sympathy.

Sean C. Killeen
LtCol USMC
Commanding Officer HMM-364
“Jen’s Purple Foxes”
Sean Killeen (Al Taqaddum, Iraq)

Captain Jennifer J. Harris Comes Home

The hearse containing the body of Marine Captain Jen Harris, 28, arrived in her home town of Swampscott, Massachusetts yesterday. The DOD released the names of five other passengers, Marines who were killed on the last flight of her Sea Knight medevac helicopter. The identity of the sixth victim was not released.

Capt. Jennifer J. Harris, 28, of Swampscott, Mass.

1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker, 25, of Big Bear City, Calif.

Sgt. Travis D. Pfister, 27, of Richland, Wash.

Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, 30, of Toms River, N.J.

Sgt. James R. Tijerina, 26, of Beasley, Texas

Un-Equal Time: Marine Captain Jennifer J. Harris

Seven helicopters have gone down in Iraq since January 20th, the most in a month since the invasion of Iraq in early 2003. Most of those I've posted about in connection with a growing SAM threat, but didn't delve much into the human tragedy.

Jennifer Harris was the pilot of the CH-46 Sea Knight which was hit by a missile and crashed near Taji, losing all aboard. Captain Harris was the first female Marine helo pilot to do a tour in Iraq as a member of the elite Purple Foxes unit. She was truly elite, and was one of only three officers chosen for an upcoming Senate mentoring program. She had quite an academic and family background, as related in her local Boston Herald.

She went to Annapolis after high school, and was also accepted at West Point. As an attack pilot, she was a star, yet chose to fly medical rescue missions to US and Iraqi wounded. In a few more days, after the completion of her third tour, she would've celebrated a delayed Christmas with her proud family and taught Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps classes at George Washington University. To quote the news article:

Soon, he will repeat the tender ritual he shared with his daughter. “I loved picking her up at the airport when she’d come home,” Ray said. “I had this special pillow so she could rest her head. Picking her up was always so much better than taking her back.”
In a few days, Ray Harris will proudly drive to Logan Airport to meet “my lovely girl” when she arrives for the last time. “I told the funeral director that I want the hearse to come straight here. This is Jen’s home. This is where her mother and I and all her family and friends will be waiting to welcome her home.”

We can't control when we're born, and don't have much control over when we die. Mostly, the best we can do is strive for excellence and keep picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves off. Captain Jennifer J. Harris did that to the last. I saw the video of her Chinook after it was hit by a SAM. Improbably, she somehow held it straight and level all the way down, with the second rotor and the back half of the bird missing. A little less damage, a little more lift, and she might have set it down safely.

Update: Bruce from The River Blog gave me a heads-up on the NPR story about Captain Jennifer Harris:

NPR covered this story. It put a human face on how our potential, collectively, is so casually thwarted by the sick and the power-mad. My heart goes out to the family, and all the families.

Thanks, Bruce. Listened to the NPR story, got choked up, and am now very, very pissed off. She shouldn't have been flying in that area, not below 8-10,000 feet, and they goddamn well knew it was hot with SAMs. She and 6 others paid with their lives to maintain the denials of CENTCOM generals. Those filthy careerist shits.