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<em>Lieutenant General Millard Fill­more Harmon, Jr.,</em> Commanding General U.S. Army Air Forces, Pacific Ocean Area, left Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands on February 26, 1945, enroute in his staff plane (B-24 converted) to his headquarters at Hickam Field on Oahu, Territory of Hawaii. He did not reach his destina­tion and no trace has ever been found of the plane or personnel aboard it.</p>
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Millard was born at Fort Mason (San Francisco Bay) California on January 19, 1888, the son of Colonel (U.S.M.A. 1880) and Mrs. Millard Fill­more Harmon, U.S. Army. He has two brothers (Kenneth, U.S.M.A. 1910, and Hubert, U.S.M.A. 1915) and two sisters (Margaret, widow of Francis W. Honey­cutt, U.S.M.A. 1904, and Edith, wife of John W. Lang, U.S.M.A. 1907). He is survived also by his wife, Alberta Bea­trice Clark, a daughter, Helen Clark, wife of Colonel J. J. Nazzaro, A.C., born at France Field, Panama Canal Zone, on June 30, 1920, and a son, Millard Fillmore Harmon, 3rd, born at March Field, California, on October 1, 1929,</p>
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Millard began his military career as a West Point cadet on March 2, 1908, and by the time he graduated on June 12,1912, he had impressed all who came to know him as a stout-hearted loyal friend who knew his own mind and who never hesitated to carry out what he considered right, regardless of the opposition. Even as a so-called “runt” he had his fun in demonstrating the truth of the old saying that “the big­ger they come the harder they fall”. His hip-check on the hockey rink laid low many big defense men, and that same technique, coupled with aggressive and skillful stickwork, made him a terror in lacrosse. He captained the var­sity hockey team for two successive years, and he participated in many other athletic activities and outdoor sports.</p>
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His early training as an officer was with the Infantry with which be served over three years. His first as­signment was with the 28th infantry at Ft. Snelling, Minn., then with the 9th Infantry at Ft. Thomas, Ky. and on the Border at Laredo, Texas, follow­ed by about one year’s service in the Philippines with the 24th and 27th In­fantry Regiments. By nature daring and always eager for action and ad­venture, he applied in 1915 for trans­fer to the Aviation Section of the Sig­nal Corps. He was forthwith ordered to the Aviation School at San Diego, California, from which he graduated in October 1916, Just in time to get his seasoning as a pilot of the First Aero Squadron with the Pershing Punitive Expedition into Mexico shortly before World War I broke.</p>
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Miff’s whole nature reflected balance and a philosophy that there is a time and place for all the good things of life. His enthusiasm as a young air­man did not take his mind and heart away from things romantic, for, with war in the offing, he decided that it was in order for him to seek emerg­ency leave and bring to a climactic conclusion the courtship which he had initiated upon meeting Miss Alberta</p>
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Beatrice Clark at San Diego following his return from the Philippines. The result was what he always claimed later was the outstanding good fortune of his life—namely, the winning in matrimony of the one who became later his devoted wife and helpmate. Miff and Alberta were married in Los Angeles on March 7, 1917, and, after a honeymoon of only a few weeks, he was on his way to Washington for in­structions before sailing for France on April 6, 1917 to enter upon courses of instruction in French Aviation Schools. The outbreak of war gave him an op­portunity to serve on active duty as a pursuit pilot of French Escadrille No. 5, for which he was decorated with the French Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star. In the citation for his bravery in the Soissons and Somme Offensives, the French Commander stated that Major Millard F. Harmon, Jr., Aviation Section, Signal Corps, had assisted by taking part in all patrols of that Es­cadrille, and besides had made a great number of voluntary patrols, thus set­ting the very best example of enthus­iasm and scorn of danger.</p>
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The end of World War I found him commanding the First Provisional wing preparing for active participation in the European conflict. The peace and demobilization brought in due time his reduction from the grade of Lieut. Colonel to his permanent rank then of Captain and, on July 1, 1920, his transfer to the newly estab­lished Air Service. The period of peace between World War I and Pearl Har­bor gave him an opportunity to make many vital contributions to the steady growth of the Army Air Forces in varied fields, such as—student at the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth and later at the Army War College; member of the War Department General Staff; com­mand of the 20th Pursuit Group at Barksdale Field; command of the 5th Bombardment Group at Luke Field in the Hawaiian Islands; instructor at the Command and General ‘Staff School; Commandant of the Air Corps Primary Flying School at March Field; Commandant of the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field; Commander of the Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center at Randolph Field; Commander of the Interceptor Command of the 4th Air Force; and Commander of the 2nd Air Force.</p>
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Soon after Pearl Harbor he was se­lected by the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces, General Henry H. (Hap) Arnold, to be his Executive and Chief of the Air Staff. For his outstanding work on this important assignment at a critical time in laying the foundation for the tremendous ex­pansion of the Army Air Forces, Miff was awarded his first Distinguished Service Medal. In a tribute to Miff, his admiring friend, Hap Arnold, wrote in “ part: “When our Country faces real crises, it produces great leaders to meet them. In World War II men who matched the sudden great urgent re­sponsibilities found themselves where they belonged. As elsewhere, so with­in the Army Air Forces, they gravi­tated to their right places, and the sure, inevitable right place for ‘Miff’ Harmon was as one of the best of our great air leaders.</p>
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“I knew him as a second lieutenant, as an Air Field Commander, as a test pilot, as a member of the General Staff, as my Executive of the Army Air Forces, as Army Commander in the South Pacific, and finally as the Com­mander of all Army Air Forces of the Pacific Ocean Areas. In all these posts he recognized and applied the prin­ciple that there is no one-way street for LOYALTY. He knew and prac­tised that LOYALTY is a two-way road, loyalty down as well as up, so he was able to do things with his com­mand, with his personnel, that stamp­ed him as one of our foremost war leaders.</p>
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“To us of the Army Air Forces, he was more than just another officer; more than a remarkable air expert who always looked far into the future; more than a capable general whose ability always surpassed the difficulty of any given assignment. To us, he was, above all else, a true friend. That is why we miss him so sincerely. That is why we shall never forget him”</p>
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In June 1942, when the Jap threat to our line of communications to Aus­tralia was most critical, Millard was sent to Auckland, New Zealand, with Orders to take command of all the Army (Ground and Air) Forces in the South Pacific Area which were serving under the overall command of Admiral William F. Halsey, U.S. Navy. With his headquarters first established on New Caledonia, he was responsible for both the Ground and Air offensives in the South Pacific in cooperation with our Navy. It was a very complex and difficult assignment of great respon­sibility, calling for a top-flight Army leader with a rare sense of diplomacy, an understanding of the value of co­operation and a disposition to apply it, and the leadership ability to make the best of the then limited means at hand which were scattered over a wide ocean area. About six months after his arrival on his new assignment, he moved against the Japs and defeated them on Guadalcanal (February 1943), using his I4th Army Corps, supported by the Navy. He organized the 13th Air Force and combined its efforts with the 14th Army Corps as he moved westward in the Russells, in the New Georgia Campaign, and on Bougain­ville. Admiral Halsey referred to Miff as his “Rock of Gibraltar”, brought about his promotion to Lieutenant General in February 1943, added the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his successful conduct as Army Com­mander of these campaigns, and paid this tribute to his beloved friend and colleague:</p>
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“As Commander, South Pacific Force, it was my privilege to associate with General Harmon in our common effort against the enemy. In his capacity as Commander of all Army Forces in the South Pacific during the entire South Pacific Campaign, General Harmon ex­hibited the finest qualities of a cour­ageous leader, a brilliant tactician, and a true patriot. I regard his passing as a great personal loss”</p>
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How very devoted Admiral Halsey was to Millard will be understood from a statement he made to Millard’s wife, Alberta, long before his loss: “I never had a brother, but, if I did, I could not have loved him more than I do Millard”.</p>
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On July 8, 1944 Millard was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster to his Distinguish­ed Service Medal for his outstanding contribution up to that time toward winning the war, and the following month, upon the successful conclusion of the campaigns in the South Pacific Area, he was advanced to the high position of Commander, Army Air Forces, Pacific Ocean Area, referred to as “Nimitz’ Umbrella”, with his com­mand post at Hickam Field, Oahu, Ha­waiian Islands. His new high com­mand also carried with it the role of Deputy Commander, 20th Air Force, and as such he was General Arnold’s Deputy in the Pacific, responsible for directing the B-29 strategic bombing of the Japanese Empire, with special attention to its vital warmaking in­dustry. Millard, with his usual far­sightedness and great faith in the effectiveness of air power in general, and especially strategic mass bomb­ing, to destroy the enemy’s will and ability to continue the war, set to work implementing his plans calling for mass bombing with as many as a thousand planes at a time. Gradually he pushed his advance command post westward across the Pacific and had his strategic bombing program well under way with his forward head­quarters on the island of Guam by February 1945. By that time he had become actively engaged in the prep­aration of plans for the eventual in­vasion of Japan. On the 26th of Feb­ruary 1945, he departed by staff air­plane (a converted B-24) with certain members of his staff enroute to Wash­ington for the purpose of discussing these plans. While enroute between Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, and Ha­waii, his plane disappeared after one position report, about 4 hours out on a night flight that was expected to re­quire about 14 hours. The most ex­tensive search of World War II was instituted, but no trace of the plane or personnel aboard it, ten in number, was found. At first it was thought that perhaps the plane had been shot down by the enemy, but later developments support the opinion that the airplane may have exploded while transferring gasoline from one tank to another.</p>
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Major General Willis H. Hale, U.S. A.F., who was serving as Deputy to Millard at the time of his loss paid him this tribute: “… Miff Harmon’s major contribution during the War was the highly successful result of his opera­tions in the South Pacific where he commanded all Army, Ground, and Air Forces. During the brief period when I served as his deputy, just prior to his death, he demonstrated in his new and last command his well-known or­ganizing, administrative and command ability for which he had long been famous in the Air Forces. His per­sonal qualities of understanding, toler­ance, modesty, good humor, cheerful­ness, optimism, and effective considera­tion for the welfare of all members of his command, especially his juniors, gained the respect, admiration and de­votion of all of us. “</p>
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Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, U.S. Navy, Supreme Commander of the Pacific Ocean Areas, and later Chief of Naval Operations, paid this tribute to our beloved classmate:</p>
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“During my tenure as the Command­er-in-Chief, United States Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas, in the war against Japan, I was associated with many officers and men of outstanding valor, ability, and integrity. In this category was Lieutenant Millard F. Harmon, Jr. of the United States Army Air Forces. His first duty in the Pacific Ocean Areas came at a time of bitter fighting when the means available to the United States to resist the enemy were extremely limited. It was fortunate therefore that among our resources we had available a great leader, a gallant soldier, a splendid airman, and a true American, General Harmon. He served with distinction during the battles in the Solomon Islands in the capacity of Commanding General of all of the U.S. Army forces in the South Pacific Area. When he was advanced later to the position in command of all the Army Air Forces in the Pacific Ocean Areas, the assignment was hailed by all the Services. In this assignment he made outstanding contributions to the advance of our forces across the Pacific and to the eventual defeat of the Japanese. His untimely death in February 1945 was a severe loss to our fighting forces and to the Nation. He was a valiant soldier and a true friend, deeply mourned by all who served with him”</p>
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Any tribute to Millard without a word from his old friend and fellow pioneer airman, General Carl (“Too- hey”) Spaatz, the present Commanding General, Army Air Forces, would be lacking:</p>
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“Throughout the history of the Air Force no name stands out more vivid­ly than that of Miff Harmon. He was one of the small group of pioneer air­men who earned their wings before the first World War. His early combat flying experience was gained on the Mexican Border in 1916 and then in France during World War I. Military aviation was his life and he pursued it with an intensity and determina­tion that made him one of our great­est leaders. He was admired by all for the contribution of his great tal­ents to the building of the Air Forces.</p>
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“In World War II, he became Chief of the Air Staff. Commander of the Army Forces in the South Pacific Area, and he commanded the Army Air Forces, Pacific Ocean Areas. It was during this last assignment that he gave his life in flight for his Country. He has not been, and can never be replaced”.</p>
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The tribute that Millard would have prized most perhaps was that which came from the hearts of the enlisted men of his command. Their senti­ments have been voiced by the crew chief that maintained his single-seater plane, Master Sergeant Jack Uzzell, whose close relation with his General enabled him, during the early days of their service together in the South Pacific, to comprehend the heart and soul of the great leader whose ex­ample inspired such a fighting spirit in his troops:</p>
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… General Harmon had the en­listed men right behind him he was on the go night and day, regard­less of Japs or bad weather … many an hour I sat anxiously at the hangar waiting for the sound of his P-38 motor, wondering if he would make it ... he usually flew alone, spurning any kind of an escort and claiming that he’d take his chances with his fighter plane to elude the Japs who were mighty active in those days … yes, sir, he was one General that every­body, the men especially, liked to see come around and hated to see leave we really loved him”</p>
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Over three years have transpired since Millard joined the “Long Gray Line”, where many old friends of our “Army-boy” classmate, including also his own distinguished Father for whom he was named, must have wel­comed him in the Great Beyond with a “Well Done” pat on the back. These three years have given us added op­portunity to contemplate and duly evaluate his remarkable record of out­standing achievements in varied fields of service to his Country, his fellow man, and to God. And the more we appraise our Millard, the prouder we rightly are to claim him as one of our very own. We recall how proud we were to hail him as our first classmate to attain both two-star and three-star rank, positions which he held with such characteristic modesty and grace; proud too of his outstanding successes as one of the great battle leaders in the Pacific where his demonstrated character and ability elicited the pro­nounced admiration and respect of all the Services and also of our Allies that held interests there; and, again proud when our Government duly rewarded him repeatedly with citations of ap­proval and promotions.</p>
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Thus, Millard Fillmore Harmon, Jr. brought great credit to his beloved Alma Mater; to his Class (U.S.M.A. 1912) to which he was ever loyal; to his beloved Country; to his wide host of friends and admirers; and to his devoted family. And, now, bareheaded, we of 1912 salute his memory, and be­moan his tragic and untimely loss, realizing as we do that no one can take the place of Millard Harmon in our hearts. May his noble soul rest in peace!</p>
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<em>—His Classmates.</em></p>