My father was born July 19, 1921, in Macon, Georgia. His parents were Olivia Tatum Pope and Lee Morris Happ. He was extremely bright and well loved by all who knew him. He graduated in 1942 as a Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University and joined the Marine Corps. He and my mother, Anne Shirley Williams, were married in February 1943 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. My mother traveled to San Diego in January 1944 to see him off to the South Pacific and shortly after his departure I was born. He never saw or held me, but he kept a picture of Mama and me close to his heart. I have that picture with the bullet holes in it.

My mother remarried when I was six and my stepfather, Capt. William Edmund Pendleton, Jr., 8th Army Air Corps, was the only father I ever knew. He and my mother had two daughters, which gave me a loving family. He was a wonderful father who listened and joined in conversations that my mother had with me about my father. He gave me the gift of learning about my hero.

My father has always been my hero and I read the letter sent by James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy and I know why he is a hero to the country:

"For heroic service as Battalion Liaison Officer attached to the Third Battalion, Twenty-fourth Marines, Fourth Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Saipan Island, Marianas Group, From 19 to 28 June 1944. Courageous and alert under extremely hazardous combat conditions, First lieutenant Happ unhesitatingly made his way forward from regimental headquarters despite intense hostile fire and successfully contacted his battalion during the early stages of the assault. Subsequently, with consistent skill and determination, he continued to carry out his vital duties until fatally wounded by fire from an enemy tank while advancing with the battalion command group. First Lieutenant Happ's indomitable spirit and steadfast devotion to duty in the face of grave peril were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country."