Chickasaw Hall of Fame inductee and Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Col. Raymond G. Harvey was honored by his adopted hometown of Pasadena, California, in November.
William M. Paparian, former mayor and master of ceremonies for the event, said Harvey is a historic figure for the City of Pasadena as well as the Chickasaw Nation.
“Raymond Harvey is among the most highly decorated soldiers in the history of the United States Army,” Paparian said. “He entered military service from Pasadena and served in World War II in Europe.”
His Chickasaw Hall of Fame biographical sketch says Harvey was born in 1920 and grew up in Sulphur, Oklahoma.
He was recognized for extreme gallantry in combat against the enemy for his efforts in World War II.
“During World War II, he served with the 79th Infantry Division and participated in that division’s campaigns in northern France and Germany,” Paparian said. “He received the Medal of Honor for his heroism in Korea as a captain leading Company C of the 7th Infantry Division.”
The Medal of Honor is America’s highest military decoration, awarded for valor in action against an enemy force. It is bestowed by the president on behalf of Congress to service members who distinguish themselves through “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty,” according to its congressional proclamation.
Harvey also earned the Distinguished Service Cross, three Silver Stars, three Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for his valor in World War II and Korea, Paparian said.
Paparian said Harvey returned to Pasadena after the war was over and left for active duty just before the start of the Korean War.
W h e n H a r v e y ’ s company was pinned down by automatic weapons fire at Incheon, South Korea, he charged forward despite the obvious danger and single-handedly took o u t t h r e e e n e m y emplacements.
Though wounded, he ordered the company forward and refused evacuation until being assured the mission would be accomplished.
The Chickasaw Hall of Fame biographical sketch records Harvey’s “warrior spirit and keen instincts on the battlefield” earned him America’s highest military accolade, the Medal of Honor.
It was presented to him by President Harry S. Truman in 1951.
Paparian said Harvey was a Grand Marshal of Pasadena’s Rose Parade in 1952.
Harvey served as technical advisor on the 20th Century Fox feature film “Fixed Bayonets!” It was a project that detailed events in which he had been involved just months before. He also served in the same capacity for two more movies, 1953’s “Cease Fire” and “Verboten!”
Harvey retired in 1962 as a lieutenant colonel and went on to serve as director of Indian Affairs for the Arizona State Emergency Services. He died in 1996 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
Johnece Firestone and Cynthia Pereira, Harvey’s daughters, said their father lived up to the unconquered and unconquerable spirit of the Chickasaw Nation.
“If you look at his history in World War II, he did these things over and over and over again,” Firestone said. “He was certainly not going to be conquered. He was not going to let them get the best of him, and he didn’t.”
“His unconquerable sense of pride and duty carried through in his work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs where he remained steadfast in his commitment to protecting and restoring the rights of all Indigenous peoples,” Pereira said.
“He never wavered in his fight for justice, ensuring that their voices were heard and their sovereignty was protected.”
Paparian said his goal is to keep Harvey’s memory alive in the minds of Pasadena’s residents.
“Eventually we want to put up a memorial plaque in his honor somewhere in the city,” Paparian said.