Harley Cassell was born in 1946 in Danville, Virginia. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on December 12, 1966, and completed basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in February 1967. Pvt Cassell then attended Supply School at Fort Eustis, Virginia, from February to May 1967, followed by service as a Supply Handler with the 490th Transportation Company at Fort Eustis from June 1967 to January 1968. His next assignment was as a Harbor Craft Boatswain and Army Seaman with the 1097th and then the 5th Transportation Company in South Vietnam from February 1968 until he was captured in Cambodia and taken as a Prisoner of War while serving aboard the landing craft LCU-1577 on July 17, 1968. After spending 156 days in captivity, SP4 Cassell was released by his Cambodian captors on December 19, 1968. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Fort Lee, Virginia, and received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army on January 24, 1969.

The Soldier's Creed:

I am an American Soldier.

I am a warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier.