EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A fallen El Paso soldier will be honored during NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 race on Sunday, May 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
El Paso native and 1st Sgt. Glenn L. Harris will be honored through the NASCAR circuit’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program.
Photos courtesy of NASCAR
Every car in the Coca-Cola 600 field will carry the name of a fallen service member on its windshield header.
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The No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry XSE, driven by John Hunter Nemechek, will honor Harris during the race.
Harris served for 16 years in the U.S. Army, concluding his career as the first sergeant for Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
Harris tragically lost his life during an airborne training exercise on Dec. 4, 1994 at Fort Benning, Georgia. During the incident that took his life, he displayed the courage for which he was known, asking that other soldiers be rescued first.
He was one of three soldiers who landed in the Chattahoochee River. A safety boat reached him first, but he directed rescuers to assist the other Army rangers before he got rescued. He drowned shortly thereafter.
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He was 35 years old.
According to a biography provided by NASCAR, Harris was a “master of his craft” as a ranger and light infantryman, completing airborne, jumpmaster, air assault, jungle warfare, arctic paratrooper and close quarters battle designations.
“As first sergeant, he led from the front, ensuring his soldiers were always combat-ready,” the biography read.
During Operation Gothic Serpent in Mogadishu, Somalia — more commonly known as Black Hawk Down — he distinguished himself under fire and earned the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. On his final NCO evaluation, he earned a perfect 300 on the Army’s physical fitness test, using the youngest soldiers’ standard and was regarded as the most physically fit in the company.
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