Sergeant Harris was a member of the 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, on 28 November 1950 and died while a prisoner on 22 February 1951.

Harris was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.