Roger William Harris

Lieutenant Commander Roger William Harris (born July 23, 1937) is a retired United States Navy Fighter Pilot and Trans World Airlines Captain who was born in San Francisco.
300px200px230px
Career

United States Navy
Roger Harris enlisted in the United States Navy in 1955, following his Aberdeen, Washington high school graduation. After Boot Camp, he was selected for the Navy’s NavCad Program.
The , also known as NAVCAD, provided Navy flight training to qualified men with two or more years of college or the equivalent GED. When NAVCADs successfully completed flight training, they were commissioned as officers in the Naval Reserve and designated Naval Aviators, or Naval Flight Officer. Successful applicants who completed the NAVCAD program were obligated to six years of active duty after commissioning into the United States Navy.
After flight training, Ensign Harris was assigned to an active duty Navy Fighter Squadron, VF-53, at Naval Air Station Miramar, California, initially flying the F9F-8 Cougar fighter. Because of its distinctive patch, the squadron VF-53 became known as “The Puking’ Dogs." In 2001 Harris published an article in the Tail Hook Association magazine “The Hook.” This article described the VF-53 mascot, the Griffin, a mythological winged beast, half eagle and half black panther.
Below is the entire text of the article published by Roger W.Harris in the Tail Hook Association Magazine "The Hook."
THE REAL STORY OF THE PUKIN' DOG as published in "The Hook."
By LCDR Roger Harris, USN (Ret).
Barrett Tillman writes in his book WARRIORS the story of the junior officer in VF-53 who decided to make a suitable rendition of the creature on the squadron patch. Kirby Wells, then squadron public information officer, had answered a request for information on said creature, stating, "It is the Griffin, a mythological winged beast, half eagle and half black panther. It is symbolic of our mission, which is to seek out and destroy any enemy, day or night."
Lou Fields had recently come aboard as our new commanding officer as VF-123 became VF-53. With him came the patch. Lou was a dynamic skipper who brought with him a whole new attitude that rubbed off on many of the junior officers. We wanted to be a part of what we knew was going to become probably the best fighter squadron at NAS Miramar, regardless of the fact that we flew the F3H Demon and not the FJ-4 Fury, the F11F Tiger, the F4D Skyray or the F8U Crusader. These were, in our eyes nothing but high-speed, one-man transports. We needed something to brag about and protect (with our lives, if necessary) at the mandatory Friday afternoon Happy Hour!
ENS Jack Harrison and I decided to build that "something." We started with an armature of wire, then began adding layers of strips of newspaper soaked in a mix of water and flour. Voila! Papier-mâché!. We'd let it dry, then stand back and view our creation and add more wet paper until it became recognizable. We added removable stiff cardboard wings and painted it jet black with glistening white eyes, fangs and a red tongue. The long tail was another problem—it was frequently broken. On display we'd tape it up and hide the break behind a vase of flowers or an immobile Demon driver.
Needless to say, it became an item in high demand to be stolen. At one of our first squadron functions, one of the wives, probably under the influence of an unknown poisonous beverage, saw it and loudly said, "It looks like a goddamn pukin' dog!" And that name sure stuck!
And, sure enough, some inferior squadron did steal the Dog. We'd get cards and letters from the Dog from various parts of the world, but we never knew who had stolen him. During the WestPac cruise of 1960, we had a new Dog, one we hoped would better stand the rigors of Happy hour, carved of mahogany in Olongapo, Philippines. It wasn't finished when we sailed home, and we had it sent to us when we returned to Miramar.
By that time, the old Dog had reappeared as mysteriously as he'd gone. Having been all over the world, he was in pretty tough shape, with drooping wings and a crying need for a new paint job. We decided to give the old Dog an appropriate sendoff to wherever Pukin' Dogs go.
On a Thursday before the upcoming happy Hour, we carefully cut open the belly and inserted some raw shrimp. We then repaired the exterior and repainted it. Sure enough, at the Friday "do" some JO was inattentive and the Dog was once again stolen. The perps took it to the parking lot and put it in their skipper's car, where it remained until he drove to work on Monday morning.
We may not have been the hottest fighter pilots in the air wing, but we sure smelled better!
And that is the true story of the Pukin' Dog.
The squadron subsequently transitioned to the McDonnell F3H Demon all-weather fighter and completed two Western Pacific deployments aboard USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14). Lieutenant Junior Grade Harris logged over three hundred carrier-arrested landings aboard USS Ticonderoga.
In 1962 LT Harris was assigned to the Naval Post-Graduate School at Monterey, California, where he completed academic studies. Following his studies in Monterey, Harris was assigned as a Ground and Flight Instructor in Fighter Squadron 121, an F-3 and F-4 Pilot/Radar Intercept Officer Training Squadron at NAS Miramar, California. While instructing in the Douglas F3D Skyknight, McDonnell F3H Demon and the McDonnell F-4 Phantom, LT Harris gained experience in Weapons Delivery, air-to-air tactics and carrier operations. It was during this period that he began to formulate the jet fighter tactics necessary for the air-to-air missile age.
In 1965 LT Harris was assigned to Fighter Squadron 21 aboard , already deployed off the coast of Vietnam, flying the Phantom. The squadron's missions provided MiG protection over North Vietnam and air-to-ground operations over South Vietnam in 1965. It was during this deployment that two VF-21 pilots and their Radar Intercept Officers (RIOs) destroyed two North Vietnamese MIG-17s with their Sparrow missiles, the first MIG kills of the war. LT Harris logged over one hundred carrier-arrested landings aboard USS Midway, now a very popular tourist attraction in San Diego, California.
In 1966 Harris' squadron deployed for Vietnam once more, aboard the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43), where it was tasked with providing close air-support to American troops in South Vietnam and to interdict the supply lines along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Missions "Up North" over heavily-defended North Vietnam provided MiG protection, primary strike bombing and flak suppression. As a Junior Lieutenant Commander, Harris was assigned to lead an "Alpha Strike" of over twenty-five carrier aircraft against railroad and storage facilities near one of North Vietnam's largest cities. For his efforts, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He accumulated another 100 landings aboard USS Coral Sea.
During this deployment, Harris and two other squadron pilots were assigned the task of developing and publishing an air-to-air tactics manual, which was later incorporated into the now famous United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (Topgun) curriculum. Another squadron officer, J.C. Smith, was later selected to be the original Commanding Officer of the Topgun School. His career is well-described in the book, “Journey To Command” by his wife Carol.
In his Navy career, Lieutenant Commander Harris logged over 3000 jet fighter hours, completed 175 combat missions and over 550 carrier-arrested landings, more than 100 of which were at night. Prior to his leaving the Service, Harris was assigned to the Naval Aircraft Plant at McDonnell-Douglas in St.Louis, Missouri, where he test-flew brand-new Phantom IIs destined for the three US military Services (USN, USMC and USAF), Britain and Israel.
Trans World Airlines

In 1967, LCDR Harris resigned from the Navy and joined Trans World Airlines (TWA). He flew for TWA as a Flight Engineer, Rated First Officer, Captain and Check Airman on the Boeing 707, Boeing 727, Lockheed L-1011, Douglas DC-9 and MD-80 aircraft. He flew his last TWA flight on his 60th birthday in 1997. While flying for TWA Harris served in foreign assignments for the airline in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Munich, Germany.
Personal life
In 1959, while stationed in San Diego, Roger met and married Nancy Brenner, and the two were married in a military ceremony. The Harrises have two sons, Thomas and Michael and two grandchildren. Roger Harris and his family have lived in San Diego, California, Northern New Jersey and Arizona.
Retirement
LCDR Harris resigned from the Navy in 1967, having served for nearly thirteen years. He subsequently retired as a Captain from Trans World Airlines (TWA) in 1997 after a thirty-year career and nearly 23,000 accident-free flight hours.
Roger and his wife Nancy have lived in Arizona since 1978 where he enjoys big game hunting and salmon fishing off the coasts of Washington and Oregon. After his TWA retirement, Roger Harris has been actively involved in several international businesses, as co-owner of three shrimp boats in Mexico's Sea of Cortez and of a green marble quarry in the mountainous jungles of central Guatemala.

Military awards and decorations
500px
From left to right: Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal (13 awards), Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Navy/Marine Commendation Medal with Combat V, American Expeditionary Medal (3 Awards), Vietnam Service Medal, (2 awards), Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon (2 Awards).
Other Navy fighters flown by Roger Harris

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu