Harmon, Leonard Roy

Born in Cuero, Leonard Roy Harmon enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Houston in June 1939. After training in Norfolk, Virginia, he reported for duty on the cruiser "U.S.S. San Francisco" and advanced to mess attendant first class. During the World War II Battle of Guadalcanal, on November 12, 1942, a Japanese plane crashed into the radar and fire control station of the "San Francisco," causing 50 casualties. The following day, November 13, as the naval battle continued, several officers on the bridge were struck by enemy gunfire. Harmon rushed to help evacuate the wounded to a dressing station. He was killed as he shielded an injured shipmate from gunfire. For this act of extraordinary heroism, he was awarded the Navy Cross. On May 21, 1943, Frank Knox, secretary of the Navy, announced the naming of a Navy vessel in Harmon's honor. The first U.S. warship named for a black man, the destroyer escort "U.S.S. Harmon" was christened by Mrs. Naunita Harmon Carroll, Harmon's mother, and launched on July 25, 1943. The vessel received three battle stars for service in the Pacific during World War II. In 1975, as a further memorial, the bachelor enlisted quarters at the U.S. Naval Air Station, North Island, California, was named Harmon Hall.

Harmon, Leonard Roy is a historical marker in Cuero, DeWitt County, dedicated in 1977. It is one of 90 historical markers documented in DeWitt County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 166 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.0876, -97.2741 near Cuero. The nearest cataloged historic site is De Witt County (historical marker), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Cuero, Breeden, Charles Goodwin, and Hillside Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5123003072. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.