Mississippi Congressman Trent Kelly has announced the passage of H.R. 208, by both chambers in Congress, to rename the U.S. Post Office located at 500 West Main Street in Tupelo, Mississippi, the Colonel Carlyle “Smitty” Harris Post Office.
“Colonel Harris was held as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam for just under eight years, enduring starvation, solitude, and torture,” said Kelly. “Despite dire living conditions, Col. Harris introduced the tap code to his fellow POWs to secretly communicate between cells. During his time in captivity, letters he wrote to his wife, Louise, were delivered to the Tupelo Post Office. I am thankful for the support from members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in this endeavor to honor a great American Patriot.”
Retired United States Air Force Colonel Carlyle “Smitty” Harris’s F-105 fighter-bomber was shot down over North Vietnam on April 4, 1965. He was the sixth American to become a Prisoner of War (POW) in North Vietnam.
The bill now awaits the President’s signature.
