Korean War Charles Lee Harrison (March 21, 1921 – January 17, 2015) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel.

[3][4] Private First Class Harrison and the other prisoners were held on the airfield, exposed to the sun with no food and little water for 54 hours until the evening of December 25.

[3] In December 1942, Harrison and most of the other POWs from Wake Island were transferred to Jiangwan (now part of Hongkou, Shanghai), several miles away.

However, from January 1943 to September 1944, Harrison and the other enlisted men worked hard labor at a rifle range, and many suffered from malnourishment and tuberculosis as a result of their starvation diets.

[1][2] When the Korean War began in 1950, Staff Sergeant Harrison was assigned to the 1st Military Police Company, 1st Marine Division, and took part in the landing at Inchon on September 15.

Major John N. McLaughlin assumed command and the men expended most of their ammunition while fighting in subzero temperatures throughout the night.

[5][6] After approximately 40 men had been killed another 40 had been wounded, including Harrison, the survivors surrendered as prisoners of war in the early morning hours.

[1][4][6] Also captured in that same convoy was Chief Warrant Officer Felix J. McCool, who had also previously been held as a POW during World War II.

[5] Harrison and the other prisoners marched north for several weeks, usually at night and during blizzards in order to avoid detection from UN aircraft.

[1][5] On May 25, Harrison's group spelled out "POWS – 19 RESCUE" using makeshift air panels they made from wallpaper from a nearby house.

An Army reconnaissance pilot spotted the signal and radioed their position to a friendly unit, which promptly moved forward and rescued the 19 prisoners.

After retirement, he moved his family to the small town of Peardale, California, where he served as an auxiliary police officer in Grass Valley.