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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Iraq War, 2003-2011
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: B Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division; B Troop, 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division
  • Location of Service: Schweinfurt, Germany; Iraq; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant

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"I do have bad days, but for the most part, I live my life because life is worth living, and I had to carry that through my entire recovery." (Video interview, 1:15:05)

As a kid growing up in West Texas, Shilo Harris idolized his father and grandfather, both veterans, and soaked up the stories of their military experiences. Despite this family legacy of service, he didn’t enlist until he was 27 years old, after the crystallizing moment of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Although he came relatively late to the military life, he loved every minute of his time as a Cavalry Scout in the Army, from basic training through his deployments to Germany and Iraq. In February 2007, while serving with the 10th Mountain Division near southern Baghdad, his Humvee was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED), which killed three of his comrades and left him near death, with severe burns to over thirty percent of his body. He describes his subsequent recovery as an emotional and physical “roller coaster” that took three years and countless surgeries.

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About this Item

Title

  • Shilo A. Harris Collection

Names

  • Ward, Kerry
  • Library of Congress
  • Denise Severson
  • National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
  • Harris, Shilo A.

State of Birth

  • TX

Home State

  • TX

Headings

  • -  Harris, Shilo A.
  • -  Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Iraq War, 2003-2011

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: B Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division; B Troop, 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division
    • Location of Service: Schweinfurt, Germany; Iraq; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas
    • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 2002-2010
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of photograph (collected 2002 - 2016)
  • Photograph: Photocopy of photographic print [15 items] -- Photograph (collected 2002 - 2016)
  • Video: Digital File [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 10/25/2018)
  • Computer File: Other Computer File [1 item] -- Electronic file of photograph (collected 2004 - 2007)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 10/25/2018)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/113534

Cite as

  • Shilo A. Harris Collection (AFC/2001/001/113534), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Ward, Kerry, Library Of Congress, Denise Severson, National Court Reporters Association, and Shilo A Harris. Shilo A. Harris Collection. 2002. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.113534/.

APA citation style:

Ward, K., Library Of Congress, Denise Severson, National Court Reporters Association & Harris, S. A. (2002) Shilo A. Harris Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.113534/.

MLA citation style:

Ward, Kerry, et al. Shilo A. Harris Collection. 2002. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.113534/>.