Vietnam Veteran Father OEF-OIF Son Led Same Unit

Father, son lead Army unit 4 decades apart
Associated Press
BY BRETT BARROUQUERE
June 14, 2014

FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — Like many soldiers, Lt. Col. Patrick Harkins has a veteran father who knows firsthand the stress of wartime deployments. One big difference is that Harkins' dad led the very same unit of paratroopers known as the Iron Rakkasans into combat decades earlier.

While the military has long had family legacies — and featured them prominently in Father's Day celebrations — the Harkins' achievements stand out. Capt. Charles Emmons, a spokesman for the brigade, said it appears to be the first time a father and son have commanded the same unit decades apart.

Patrick Harkins, 41, has led the 3rd Battalion of the 187th Infantry Regiment into combat in Iraq and Afghanistan four times since Sept. 11, 2001. His father, retired Col. Bob Harkins, led the same regiment four decades ago in Vietnam during Operation Apache Snow, more commonly known as the Battle of Hamburger Hill.

"It's a really unique situation," Emmons said.

The family legacy reaches back to World War II. Patrick Harkins' grandfather, Sgt. Clyde Patrick Harkins, served with the 279th Combat Engineers and was attached to the 101st Airborne Division, which also contains the Rakkasans. He was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge and later died of his injuries. Patrick Harkins' brother, Army Lt. Col. Gregory Harkins, 43, is stationed in Italy.
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