Harris, from Morris, IL, enlisted in the Navy in 1943 at the age of 17 with his parent's signature. He was a cook assigned to the Navy Hospital at Holland, New Guinea. Because of censoring of letters during the war, he was not permitted to disclose where he was. He got around this be adding a middle initial to his father's name on letters home. He used a different letter for each letter, and when the initials were combined in order they spelled out NEW GUINEA; his father had no middle name.