Harold Simms was born in 1944 in Indiana. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on November 9, 1966, and completed basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in January 1967. Pvt Simms next attended Harbor Craft Boatswain training at Fort Eustis, Virginia, from January to May 1967, followed by service as a harbor craft boatswain with the 500th Transportation Company at Fort Knox from May 1967 to January 1968. His next assignment was as a harbor craft boatswain with the 5th Transportation Company in South Vietnam from March 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, Sgt Simms was released by his Cambodian captors on December 19, 1968. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Fort Knox, and then left active duty on January 20, 1969, receiving an honorable discharge from the Army Reserve on October 18, 1972.

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.