Tupelo Post Office to be named for long-time Vietnam POW and “Tap Code” author, Col. Carlyle Harris

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Trent Kelly is pleased to announce the passage of H.R. 208, by both chambers in the U.S. Congress. The bill now awaits the President’s signature. This legislation will name the U.S. Post Office located at 500 West Main Street in Tupelo, Mississippi, the Colonel Carlyle “Smitty” Harris Post Office.

 “Colonel Harris was held as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam for just under eight years, enduring starvation, solitude, and torture,” Rep. Kelly said. “Despite dire living conditions, Col. Harris introduced the tap code to his fellow POWs to secretly communicate between cells. During his time in captivity, letters he wrote to his wife, Louise, were delivered to the Tupelo Post Office. I am thankful for the support from members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in this endeavor to honor a great American Patriot.”

 Background: Retired United States Air Force Colonel Carlyle “Smitty” Harris’s F-105 fighter-bomber was shot down over North Vietnam on April 4, 1965. He was the sixth American to become a Prisoner of War (POW) in North Vietnam.

More about Col. Harris’s POW years and the “Tap Code”: https://newalbanyunionco.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

Congressman Trent Kelly represents Mississippi’s First Congressional District. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, serving as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations. Congressman Kelly also serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Agriculture Committee, and the House Budget Committee. This is his fourth term.