Hometown: Cuero, TX
Branch: U.S. Navy
Unit: U.S.S. San Francisco (CA-38)
Military Honors: Navy Cross, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: November 13, 1942 - KIA north of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 
Age: 25
Conflict: World War II, 1939-1945

Leonard Harmon was born to Cornelius and Naunita Harmon in Cuero, Texas—a small town southeast of San Antonio—on January 21, 1917. He graduated from Daule High School at the height of The Great Depression but managed to find some work doing chores for the William Frobese home—a local historic property.

In December of 1937, Leonard Harmon and Elene Ross welcomed a baby boy. Two years later, in July 1939, Harmon traveled to Houston and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Sent for training to Norfolk, Virginia, he was assigned to the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco (CA-38) on October 28, 1939.

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Navy—along with all U.S. military branches—was strictly segregated and offered very few opportunities for advancement for black Americans. Harmon was trained as a Mess Attendant, which was one of the few duties available.

Like most members of a Navy crew, he was also trained in damage control and was assigned a battle station aboard the heavy cruiser. The San Francisco was deployed to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. While at sea, Harmon was promoted to Mess Attendant First Class.

On November 12, 1942, in the waters between Guadalcanal and the smaller Savo Island, Harmon’s warship was attacked by a Japanese aerial assault in what became known as “The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.” The San Francisco was one of the American warships protecting transports of Marine reinforcements landing on Guadalcanal Island.

The pilot of a badly damaged Japanese plane deliberately crashed into the San Francisco’s radar and fire control station, killing or injuring 50 men. Enemy gunfire also killed nearly every officer on the bridge. Without regard for his own safety, Harmon put himself at great risk to evacuate the wounded to a dressing station. He was killed while shielding a wounded shipmate from gunfire with his own body.

According to Navy records, 77 men were killed on USS San Francisco during The Battle of Guadalcanal. 105 more were injured, and 7 were reported missing. The ship was hit 45 times, and 22 fires had to be extinguished.

For his extraordinary heroism under fire, Leonard Harmon was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. His citation reads:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Mess Attendant First Class Leonard Roy Harmon (NSN: 3600418), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty in action against the enemy while serving on board the Heavy Cruiser U.S.S. SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38), during action against enemy Japanese naval forces near Savo Island in the Solomon Islands on the night of on 12-13 November 1942. With persistent disregard of his own personal safety, Mess Attendant First Class Harmon rendered invaluable assistance in caring for the wounded and assisting them to a dressing station. In addition to displaying unusual loyalty on behalf of the injured Executive Officer, he deliberately exposed himself to hostile gunfire in order to protect a shipmate and, as a result of this courageous deed, was killed in action. His heroic spirit of self-sacrifice, maintained above and beyond the call of duty, was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Buried at sea, Leonard Roy Harmon is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

 On May 21, 1943, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox announced that a destroyer escort vessel, the USS Harmon (DE-678), would be named in Leonard’s honor. The ship was launched on July 25, 1943—and was the first U.S. warship to be named for a black American.

Other honors include the dedication of Harmon Hall, enlisted sailors’ quarters at the U.S. Naval Air Station in North Island, California, on July 29, 1975. A state historical marker was dedicated in 1977 at Cuero Municipal Park in Texas, and the street on the north edge of the park was renamed Leonard Roy Harmon Drive.

A poster of Harmon hangs in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Sources
Card photo (edited): UTSA Special Collections
Hall of Valor Project: Leonard Roy Harmon
Texas State Historical Association: Harmon, Leonard Roy (1917-1942)
Traces of War: Leonard Roy Harmon (1917-1943)
African American Registry
Honor States: Leonard Roy Harmon
American Battle Monuments Commission: Leonard Roy Harmon
National Portrait Gallery: Leonard Harmon