SWAMPSCOTT — It’s been 13 years since U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jennifer Harris was killed when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq, but the grieving hasn’t stopped for her father.
Dealing with his 28-year-old daughter’s death became even more difficult for Raymond Harris four years ago when his wife, Rosalie, died after a lengthy battle with multiple sclerosis.
“I’m here every day, seven days a week,” said Harris, 74, who was standing by Jennifer’s grave in Swampscott Cemetery Sunday afternoon. “I’m here every day to sit and talk (with both of them).”
Harris said he sometimes seeks others’ opinions on his daily ritual, and he’s reassured that it’s OK to visit their graves so often.
“You lost your family,” is what he’s told.
Unlike most days, Harris was not alone at Jennifer’s gravestone Sunday. He was there for a town ceremony, hosted by the U.S. Marine Corps League, which recognized Jennifer’s sacrifice and marked the unofficial anniversary of her death.
“I think it was wonderful,” said Harris. “They did a wonderful job with a big turnout. Every year, it gets bigger and bigger. I can’t believe it’s (been) 13 years gone by.”
Jennifer and six others died on Feb. 7, 2007 after the CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopter she was piloting was shot down during an Operation Iraqi Freedom casualty evacuation, or CASEVAC mission. Jennifer and her crew had been tasked with recovering the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Enamored with flying from a young age, Jennifer was the first female pilot in the highly regarded Purple Foxes squadron, which is based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp in Pendleton, Calif.
Harris said it was his 30-year career at General Electric that sparked his daughter’s interest in the field. She was torn between helicopters and jets, but decided upon the former after surveying the choppers at a GE Aviation open house.
“One day, she sat in a chair and said, ‘I’m going to fly one of these things,” said Harris. “I’m very much (proud of her). She could have done anything in the world, but she wanted to fly helicopters.”
During the graveside ceremony, tragic parallels were drawn between Harris’ death and another CASEVAC flight during the Vietnam War that ended with the deaths of six crew members.
Like Jennifer, another crew member that day, Navy Corpsman Gary Norman Young, was assigned to the Purple Foxes squadron and was flying on a Sea Knight helicopter that was shot down during a similar mission, according to Alex Panos, a paymaster at Honorable Few Detachment 1302, a section of the Marine Corps League.
But the tragic fates are even more intertwined. Young and his crew died on Feb. 7, 1969, the same day that Harris died 38 years later.
The irony is that Jennifer was helping Young’s daughter, Stephanie Hanson Caisse, compile “The Corpsman’s Legacy,” a book about her late father’s death and his time in the Vietnam War. Following Jennifer’s death, Caisse would go to write a second book about the parallels between the two flights, Panos said.
Like the second book, part of Sunday’s ceremony was devoted to noting the similarities between the two tragedies. The names of the victims from each flight were read aloud, and a rose was placed on Jennifer’s grave for each victim.
Later on, roses would be placed on the grave of Jared Raymond, another Swampscott resident killed in Iraq. Raymond, a 20-year-old Army specialist, became the town’s first casualty of the Iraq War on Sept. 19, 2006 when his tank hit an explosive device.
One of his family members was in attendance for Jennifer’s ceremony and took part in a moonshine toast to honor the town’s two heroes.
“We don’t want to forget these heroes,” said Panos. “People tend to forget. They go on with their lives and they forget so we keep her alive and we keep Jared alive as well.”
