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<p><em>Ralph John “Jay” Harting III</em> was born in Pontiac, MI and raised in Union Lake, MI. Jay was the oldest of four siblings born to Ralph and June Harting. Jay had two brothers, Will and Joe, and a sister, Sarah. Jay’s dad worked for General Motors, so the family moved several times during his childhood. In 1994, Jay graduated from the Salesianum School in Wilmington, DE, where he was a state champion goalkeeper. Jay was inducted into the Salesianum Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2024. Jay grew up in a very musical household and played the baritone horn. He applied to and was accepted to each of the service academies and decided to attend West Point. Jay received his nomination to West Point from then-Senator Joe Biden.</p>
<p>At West Point, Jay majored in mechanical engineering. He also was a member of the Strength Team for all four years. Jay excelled in both the Army Physical Fitness test and the Indoor Obstacle Course Test. He regularly achieved maximum scores in both, which was especially impressive for someone who could easily bench-press over 300 pounds. </p>
<p>Jay was extremely loyal to his friends at West Point. He took a memorable trip to California during spring break of his firstie year, when he and his friends drove from San Francisco down the coast to San Diego, CA. Another memorable trip was a trip to the beach in Delaware after final exams in May 1998. Immediately following graduation, Jay and a few friends met at his parents’ house in Switzerland and toured Europe for three weeks. Jay’s favorite stop on that trip and on other visits to see his family in Switzerland was the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. The trip to Europe was an experience that Jay and his friends talked about often once everyone scattered to different Army bases later that year. </p>
<p>Jay always planned to become an Infantry officer, and he attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course, the Bradley Leader Course, and Ranger School at Fort Benning, GA. He spent a good amount of time at Fort Benning and always made a point to help his buddies on their quick break at Ranger School between the Benning and Mountain phases. In addition to earning the Ranger Tab, Jay also completed Airborne School and the Sapper Leader Course. </p>
<p>Jay’s first assignment after Fort Benning was at Fort Campbell, KY with the 101st Airborne Division. Jay had always planned to join a light infantry unit because he saw those units as the most physically demanding units in the Army. While at Fort Campbell, Jay met the love of his life, Jennifer. Many of Jay’s friends from West Point attended his wedding at Fort Campbell in the summer of 2001. </p>
<p>After Fort Campbell, Jay headed to the Captains Career Course, at which he excelled and finished near the top of his class. Jay’s next assignment took him to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) at Fort Irwin, CA. At Fort Irwin, Jay’s first child, Adeline, was born in October 2002, and his son Ralph followed in January 2004. Jay’s third child, a son (Warren), was born in May 2005, two days after Jay’s death in Iraq.</p>
<p>The 11th ACR deployed to Iraq in January 2005. Jay had the chance to leave command prior to the deployment after being selected to teach systems engineering at West Point, but he did not want to abandon his soldiers. So, Jay went to Iraq and commanded Echo Troop, 2-11th ACR. While understanding the risks about Iraq, Jay took pride in getting a chance to command troops in combat operations. In Iraq, Jay excelled as a combat leader. Then Captain Harting led his troops during numerous missions in the 2-11th ACR sector south of Baghdad. Jay led from the front and put his soldiers first. He earned the respect of his subordinates, his peers, and his commander during his time in command. </p>
<p>As Jay’s replacement, Captain Stephen Frank, arrived in theater in March 2005, Jay began making plans to take leave to be present for Warren’s birth. After leave, Jay was scheduled to return to Iraq and assume command of Headquarters Company for 2-11th ACR. Then, on April 29, 2005, tragedy struck in Diyarah, Iraq. As Jay was showing Stephen how to conduct checkpoint operations, a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle, and Jay and Stephen lost their lives. As expected, the news devastated Jay’s wife and family. A standing-room-only memorial service took place at Fort Irwin, CA. Soon after, a full funeral service occurred at West Point, where Jay is now buried alongside his fellow graduates who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. </p>
<p>Jay will always be remembered for his dedication to his family, his natural leadership qualities, his loyalty to his friends, and his humility. Jay made all his physical and academic pursuits look easy, but he was never one to brag. Jay was a great husband, a great father, a great son, a loving and supportive big brother, and a loyal friend. His life was taken way too soon, and he has been missed every day since that fateful day in April 2005. His memory lives on through his three children, his family, and the stories about the good times he shared with his West Point friends. </p>
<p><em>— Kevin Remus, Class of 1998</em></p>
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