Love of flight, freedom unites two pilots

  • Published
  • By Bryan Magaña
  • 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANISH FORK, UTAH --  In 1932, 10-year-old Grant Harris stared skyward and marveled at the airplanes that flew over his home in Oak City, Utah. From that time forward, Harris dreamed of being a pilot.

Not long after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Harris joined the Navy Air Corps with hopes of fulfilling that dream and supporting his country. Just a year later, he was airborne and fending off Japanese fighters over Maui in the F4U Corsair - the premier fighter aircraft of its day.

Throughout his two-and-a-half years of service, the young lieutenant skirted the edge of death on several occasions, often in air-to-air combat with the enemy. He watched some of his closest friends and comrades offer up their lives in the war effort from 1943 until war's end in 1945.

More than 60 years later, America is fighting a new war, with new aircraft. But its servicemembers are safeguarding the same freedoms.

On June 17, two generations met as Harris shook the hand of Lt. Col. Bill Lyons - a 419th Fighter Wing reservist and F-16 pilot - at Harris' home in Spanish Fork, Utah.

Harris, 87, a former public school teacher, had heard the "Fighter Pilot" film was being shown at local theaters during Salt Lake City's Air Force Week in early June. But Harris, who is braving a two-year battle with leukemia, wasn't well enough to venture out.

So Colonel Lyons brought the action to him.

"It was the least I could do to take some time to talk with him," said Colonel Lyons, 419th Operations Group commander. "It was great to show him where aviation has come since his flying days and to express the debt we owe to him for his service."

Surrounded by family in the comfort of his own home, Harris viewed an array of aircraft in simulated war scenes. It wasn't long before he was pointing out the differences between the aircraft of World War II and today's fleet.

"Fewer planes are doing more work than a lot of planes did in times past," Harris said. "The movie depicted the wonderful things that modern weapons and aircraft can accomplish."

The movie stirred up memories of Harris' own military experience, and for a few hours, he and Colonel Lyons swapped war stories, noting what's changed and what's still the same.

"Colonel Lyons' training and professional competence are far beyond what I had and what I achieved," Harris said. "But the basics of fighting and staying alive are still very much the same. They will forever be constants as long as man has a need to defend himself and fight for what is right."

Colonel Lyons flew in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and has deployed to Iraq three times since 2005.

"While we have changed how we fight, the spirit of the fighter pilot seems to be pretty constant," Colonel Lyons said. "It's a brotherhood that endures, regardless of what aircraft you're flying or how long it's been since you last climbed aboard."

The colonel encourages other people to talk with World War II veterans while they still can. For him, the visit was well worth the 160 miles he put on his car.

"I don't ever want to pass up the opportunity to declare my gratitude for their efforts in preserving our freedom," he said.

And for Harris, the gratitude is mutual. After the credits rolled and the picture flickered off, he felt a sense of pride in America's military.

"I am deeply impressed," he said. "Tonight I feel that our security is in good hands. Tonight I will sleep well."