As he grew up in California, Harralson developed a great love for radio. Following his enlistment in the Navy in 1937, he attended boot camp and then radio school. Early assignments included the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) and the flag allowance of Commander Aircraft Battle Force (RADM Ernest J. King) on board the Lexington (CV-2). In 1940-41 he served as a radioman in the Asiatic Fleet flag allowance on board the heavy cruisers Augusta (CA-31) and later the Houston (CA-30). In 1941 he moved ashore to the naval radio station at Cavite in the Philippines. He was captured on Corregidor in the spring of 1942, transferred to Japan, and imprisoned for the rest of World War II. After release he went to electronics technician school, later was commissioned as an ensign in 1946. In the late 1940s he was radio officer at the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Naval Base and then attended electronics maintenance school at Great Lakes, Illinois. During the Korean War he served in the escort carrier Sicily (CVE-118) under the command of Captain John S. Thach. Later assignments in the 1950s included instructor duty at the electronics maintenance school at Great Lakes, as officer in charge of a Black Sea listening post in Turkey, communication officer in the missile test ship Mississippi (EAG-128), and electronics maintenance at the combat information center school at Glynco, Georgia. He retired from active duty in 1957 and subsequently worked in California for Aerojet.

As told by: Richard A. Harralson