Albert “Buddy” Harris

Albert “Buddy” Harris serves as the Cecil Field POW/MIA Memorial’s official spokesperson. He was born in Pensacola, FL while his father was going through flight training as one of the last Navy Sea Plane pilots. Graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1980 and became a Naval Aviator in 1981. Primarily an A-7 Corsair II pilot and LSO, Buddy has also logged flight time in the A-4 Skyhawk, F-14 Tomcat, F-8 Crusader and F/A-18 Hornet during his 20-year career in active duty and reserves. He spent his last years in the Navy working for the CNO and then Secretary of the Navy while at the Pentagon. There he helped to overhaul the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office and establish the Intelligence Community Analytic Cell for POW/MIA personnel, while working to repatriate CAPT Scott Speicher and the thousands of others still missing. A pilot for US Airways for 30 years, he has resided in Orange Park, FL for over 35 years with his wife JoAnne Speicher-Harris and four wonderful children Meghan, Michael, Madison and Makenzie.