Service to country for the Spies family began with Harry R. Spies who served with 1st Marine Division (MarDiv) in World War II in the Pacific (June 1942– October 1945) and later Korea (October 1947 – July 1952). He received a Silver Star for actions at the Chosen Reservoir with then-Capt Robert H. Barrow (later Gen Barrow, Commandant of the Marine Corps) as an infantryman and was medically retired at TSgt.
Harry C., son of Harry R., began his service in June 1970 at the U.S. Naval Academy. He was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps as a 2ndLt. in June 1974. He received his Naval Flight Officer designation in December 1975 and reported to VMAT(AW)-202 for training as an A-6 bombardier/navigator. During his initial service Col Spies, USMC(Ret) served in VMA(AW)-121, 2/7 1st MarDiv, VMA(AW)-242, 3rd Marine Air Wing (MAW) as the commanding general’s aide, VMA(AW)-121, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) (Class 84, receiving the Outstanding Developmental Phase II Award sponsored by the Empire Test Pilot School), VX-5 Chief Operational Test Director (COTD) and first USMC COTD and OpNav-07/Technical Support Group. He then returned to flight duty in VMA(AW)-224 and 3rd MAW (G3/Combat Plans) during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm and later commanded VMA(AW)-224. Shore duties followed as a Military Fellow at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, special assistant for USMC matters, Office of the Secretary of Defense and Assistant Secretary of Defense, Strategy and Threat Reduction, Commander, Marine Aviation Control Group-38, 3rd MAW as assistant wing commander and G3. Col Spies logged over 2,500 hours — 1,500+ hours in the A-6 and more than 1,000 hours in 21 other aircraft including TA-7, F-5, F-16, F-14, F/A-18B/D, S-3, OH-58, OV-1, AH-1S/T/W and OV-10A/D. He is currently a rated private pilot. Col. Spies retired in 2001.
Capt Katherine L. Spies, USMC, daughter of Harry C., has continued the Naval Aviation tradition. Graduating from the University of Southern California with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering, she was commissioned a 2ndLt. in May 2004. After completing The Basic School, she reported to Pensacola, Fla. to begin Introductory Flight Training and Aviation Preflight Indoctrination. She finished basic flight training with the 33rd Flying Training Squadron flying T-37s at Vance AFB and received her Wings of Gold in August 2006 at HT-8, NAS Whiting Field. Capt Spies then reported to HMLA/T-303 in September for training as an AH-1W pilot. Upon completion in March 2007, she reported to HMLA-267. While assigned to HMLA-267, Capt Spies was deployed with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and then the 31st MEU. Capt Spies is currently in Afghanistan with HMLA-267. She has logged 1,070 total hours — 99 in the T-37, 130 hours in the TH-57, 832 in the AH-1W. She also has 168 hours using night-vision goggles. Capt Spies has been selected for USNTPS, class 142, commencing January 2012.
Also of note, Jeanie Spies, spouse of Harry C., serves Sailors and Marines as the director of the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society at MCAS Miramar. Allison Spies, another daughter, serves at the Naval Medical Hospital, San Diego, C5 GAIT Laboratory, and Christina Spies, their daughter-in-law, is a program manager at Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va.