Jessie Harris was born in 1949 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on December 10, 1968, and completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in February 1969. Pvt Harris next attended advanced infantry training at Fort Jackson from February to April 1969, followed by service as a rifleman with Company D, 1st Battalion of the 501st Infantry Regiment in South Vietnam from May 1969 until he was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War on June 8, 1969. After spending 135 days in captivity, PFC Harris was released by his captors on October 20, 1969, and he was sent to the 93rd Evacuation Hospital in South Vietnam from October to November 1969. After returning to the United States, SP4 Harris was hospitalized to recover from his injuries at the U.S. Naval Hospital in St. Albans, New York, from November 1969 until he was medically discharged from the Army on October 13, 1970.

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.