harold G. Slater

United States army 1937-1950

world war ii

sergeant first class

Harold George Slater, was born in Glastonbury, CT on May 18, 1921.

His Army Serial Number is 6150000. He joined the United States Army on October 2, 1939 and was stationed at Fort DeRussy, Territory of Hawaii, and later, at Fort Shafter, Territory of Hawaii. There he was in Battery C, 64th Coast Artillery and was quickly promoted to Corporal because of his proficiency with the optical rangefinder, which judged the altitude of the 90 MM Anti-Aircraft guns used by his unit.

He was witness to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. On the day of the attack, he saw planes flying overhead, and assumed it was the Navy performing maneuvers. He stood and watched for a few moments, but soon a building next to him exploded and he realized the situation and took cover. Although his unit was on high alert just the prior week, they had been taken off alert to attend a retreat parade. Because of this, the 64th Coast Artillery, whose main purpose was to defend Pearl Harbor, was not active that day.

Later he was activated for duty in Europe landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France on October 3, 1944, as part of the 808th Field Artillery. This unit moved across France, Belgium and Germany, and participated in the Battle of Rhineland and the Battle of the Bulge.

During his time in World War II, he was promoted to Sergeant First Class and earned the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Theater Campaign Ribbon and the European African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon. He was honorably discharged on June 23, 1945.

During the Korean War, he was reactivated for duty in the Army National Guard and was stationed in Fort Devens, MA and Camp Stewart, GA. There he was part of the 745th AAA Gun Battalion.

He served as president of the Connecticut Nutmeg Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association for about 20 years until it was disbanded in 2008.

Biography by
Douglas Slater