In loving memory of Col Harry C. Spies USMC (Ret)
April 25, 1952 - December 16, 2013
Harry was interred on January 3, 2014 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. He is located in Section 12B, Row 1, Niche 6 (http://4sq.com/JSlqe1). The niche can be challenging to find; try inputting these coordinates 32.689603, -117.243634 into your GPS and it's basically like geocaching, except you don't get to take Harry home.
Thank you to everyone for their love and support over the past two years. We think of him each and every day and miss getting to tell him stories, ask for advice, and share jokes.
Please still consider a donation to one of the following in Harry's memory:
Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation
http://flyingleathernecks.org/donate-now/
National Museum of the Marine Corps
http://www.marineheritage.org/MakeDonation.asp?stype=F11114
The Carcinoid Cancer Foundation
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1440060
Thank you for sharing Harry with us over the years and we hope to continue to share his memory with you into the future. Feel free to post pictures and stories from any time, including the memorial and celebration.
With love, Jeanie, Brian, Kate, and Ali
Tributes
Leave a tributeTommie Maus
It is with sadness that I announce the final launch of our squadron mate and friend Colonel Harry Spies. Surrounded by his wife Jeanie and family Harry left us 16 December at Balboa Hospital, CA. Beginning with graduation from the USNA until retirement Harry represented what was the very best in a Marine officer. His leadership ensured success for VMA(AW) 224 and MACG 36 when he was their Commanding Officer. In addition his time at VX 5 was marked by tactical skill as well as leadership in both air and ground. Colonel Harry Spies passing creates a very large hole the the Corps daily muster. Family arrangements will be forthcoming and will be announced in the following link:
God Bless the Spies family and Semper Fi.
Vulture
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Lois Williams
I have only known Harry for a short time, to begin back in late 2009. At that time, by only fault of my own, I was in a 'rough-spot' but was still granted the privilege to work with harry on the MATSS contract. Without getting in to details, I felt like I couldn't breath because of the position in which I had put myself. 4 years later (present) I have a beautiful wife and 2 wonderful children, own a beautiful home and nice vehicle; the truth is that I would not be in this place if Harry had not given me the opportunity. Harry provided the gateway to not only let me breath again, but he 'let me fly'.
We (my family) are forever grateful for his life. I will see you soon, Friend, God bless.
1. Harry flying with the Wing CG (an A-4 pilot) and when they landed the A-6, the CG over rotated past 21 units when aerodynamically breaking the aircraft and scraped the skeg. Sparks went up the main fuel dump ignited the fuel and blew the turtle back off the aircraft just aft of the canopy. Both exited the A-6 running down the wings. Both survived death on that boo-boo but an aircraft accident you say? Heck no but Harry paid dearly in kangaroo court.
2. Both Harry and I were shanghaied by the CO of 121 to race on his boat as impressed crew as we both had extensive experience from racing at USNA. The Skipper was recovering from an operation so he requested the two of us to race his boat or else. We complied and promptly broke the mast, dropping it into the Neuss River. Skipper was none too pleased with his two B/N's as we were explaining that at the foot of his hospital bed.
Harry exemplified "servant leadership" and will be sorely missed. Gone but not forgotten way too soon!
Sending my love and sympathy to Jeanie, Brian, Kate and Ali.
Slick
We were good friends. On my last day of being CO of VMA(AW)-202, Harry flew in from the west coast for the change of command and was with me drinking wine at the O'Club until midnight. There are not many who reach the level of human being that Harry reached. My life, besides being saved by him, was also greatly enriched. I'll see you on the other side, my friend.
Semper Fidelis, my friend.
He may be gone from our touch, but he will NEVER be gone from our hearts.
Harry, you are missed because your presence always made a difference. You always made a meaningful contribution. Thank you for being a mentor and a friend to me! My life has been enriched because of you. I know you are in a better place, and I can only hope to see you there. Please put in a good word for me.
Jeanie, Brian, Kate, and Ali: I hope you find comfort in the love and fondness that I and so many have for him. Heaven welcomes those who lived a life that mattered. I'm sure he's there now, embracing us with his love and grace. I look forward to seeing you soon to celebrate him. If I can be of help in any way, please please let me know. Sending hugs & prayers your way.
See you later!
My favorite quote...."Hoover, if first class doesn't stop there, we're not going!"
Leave a Tribute
S/Fi, Curt
You are missed!
We lost a few good Marines who you would know in the past year -
JJ Cuff 5/23
Ken Gardiner 10/23
Jersey Krupp 12/23
Bless them all and their families.
- Trouser
VX-5 Story - Meeting Harry
SS: Hi sir, I'm LT Shuman the new intel guy.
HS: (inaudible)
SS: I'm looking forward to supporting all the projects.
HS: (murmurs something)
SS: I noticed you have a pub I need. If you need something from it, you can just call me. So, I need the pub back.
HS: No. (he looks me for first time)
However, I prevailed under the proviso that he could have the pub back if he didn't like the support. I kept the pub.
I only found out about our loss today. I feel gutted to be honest. Harry has been gone for a good time now, but in my life only for a day.
With Harry at 3D MAW, '98 to '00
I did not have the good fortune to serve with Harry every day untill 1998 when he was the CO of MACG-38 and I was the AWC of the Wing. I knew of him by reputation from his time and great work at VX-5 and the TSG. From afar, I respectedd and admired him, as did so many of us at MAWTS-1, VX-4, VX-5, VFA-125, and the then emerging Strike University, later to become Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in Fallon. We were doing things that still cannot be spoken of outside of a SCIF and Harry, Mini, Drifty, and a small ultra talented group were leading the way and facilitating it all. There is a photo on this site of the three of them and Snapper, all of whom I know well. There is more G2 in that one photo than in most large cities and they did more than we'll ever know for the country. There are many reasons that Harry was part of all that, he was just amazing at getting the right things done in the days we were fighting the Cold War.
I was privleged to work directly with him when he and I were assigned to 3D MAW, me as the AWC and he as the MACG-38 CO. In those days the Marine Aviation Command and Control System (MACCS) community was very unappreciated and little understood by many Marine aviators, even senior ones, and the vital role of the MACCS agencies and the system as a whole was generally undervalued and sub optimized in the Marine Corps and Joint world.
One of the memories I have of Harry is how he went after the aviators to turn that around, to energize the community, lift the morale and feelings of belonging and contributing among not only his Marines and Sailors at MACG-38 but in the entire MACCS community. And he did it as only he could, with his laser-like intellect that understood at an elemental level the most complex and intractable challenges, with his uncanny radar for understanding people, and patience and practiced wisdom steadily applied until really big things happened for the better.
The Wing was very involved in Operation Southern Watch in Iraq at the time, we planned and executed named operations and Harry and his folks were front and center in it all, changing the way we thought and acted as Marine aviators, as a MACCS, MAGTF warfighters and Joint warfighters. It created ways of thinking and operating that were transmitted to the future, making our accomplishments in Operation Iraqi Freedom possible and no doubt saved many, many young lives.
And there is more, Harry helped change his world for the better.
Harry always did the right things, in the right ways, for the right reasons, professionally and personally. He had an internal GPS for those things that was infallible, like a laser. It's difficult to write or think about Harry without feeling incredibly sad that he is no longer with us, it is such a loss.
Here's what I think Harry would tell us about life:
Do the right thing. Do the right thing. We don't always know exactly what that is, but we can figure it out. Figure it out and then do it.
Follow the Golden Rule.
Always do your best.
Never give up.
That's how Harry lived his life. I'll try harder to do the same. God bless him and keep him. Shadow
Fly Fishing with Harry
Like many of you I have lots of good Harry stories. One of my favorites is when Harry taught me to fly fish. As many of you know, Harry loved the outdoors and fly fishing. He loved its ruggedness, solitude and challenge. When I traveled with him he often had his Fly Rod with the carry-on luggage even though our trip was fully booked with meetings and we were in suits. I would joke with him and ask if he was hoping that when our plane “crashed,” it would be near some yet to be discovered world class trout stream. He would just smile and say, “you never know,” and continue to board. That was Harry; he never felt opportunity was far away even in the worst of situations.
Later, I asked Harry if he would teach me to fly fish. For the uninitiated, that was like asking if he would allow me to take the vows of the fly fishing priesthood. Or maybe as an adult ask a Major Leaguer to teach you how to play catch. After some persistence, he finally agreed and off we went to Bishop, CA. We decided to go in the RV I owned at the time, and we spent hours on the road solving the world’s problems. All of us who had that one on one time with Harry recognized that you were with someone special. Not perfect, but someone rare among our friends. It is those moments and the wisdom of those conversations that I will always remember.
We started to fish surrounded by quickly melting snowflakes most of the day, and caught enough for our supper. We cooked them over an open fire and then as the temperature dropped with the approach of nightfall, others crawled into their tents. We retreated to the warmth of the RV. Harry normally would have been one of those dedicated anglers who went to a tent because that was I think, one of the rules of the “priesthood.” As I prepared some other food, and Harry was enjoying a glass while debriefing the days events, I could tell he was also enjoying the significant contrast to his normal fishing trip accommodations. I joked with him again and said, I don’t think I have any white wine glasses for the fish. Harry leaned back in the chair and smiled a smile I will never forget. He said, you know Paul, I may never go camping again and just laughed. Harry was fun.