On The Road: The Longest Wait
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2013
- Tour guides at the American cemetery in Normandy, France, had been telling the story for years: a widow of a World War II airman who, on occasion, still visited her husband's grave. But after weeks of digging through documents and talking with family, Steve Hartman learned Peggy Harris' devotion was only a small part of the story.
"How long did you wait?"
"All my life."
Someone add this to the definition of 'love' in the dictionary :)
Short words at heart :)
Y^Y
That got me too!
Amen 💝
Want an ending for the waiting, longing, get married..marriage is the cure for all passion, infinity of love😒🤐
An elected American official doesn’t give a damn about an American Hero but a wonderful city in France has loved and honored that American Hero for over 60 years!!!
Typical government stooge. If it was election time, maybe he would have made at least a phone call. That's congress for you
It's all about the gratitude. If your an entitled, pompous person whose never been on the losing side of THAT situation, they feel they don't owe anything.
FAKE NEWS! >>> ua-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/v-deo.html
I wish there were more follow up videos like this, exposing the lies of the media. This woman has nothing but praise for Thornberry and how much he helped her and how hard he works, etc, while here they portray it as if he did something wrong and let this lady down.
@@OHUQTU Certainly puts new light on the subject. At the end of the original video, we are all saying, I suppose, what an A**H*** that elected official is. Then your video and suddenly the story changes. As she is the one telling her side of the truth, I chose to believe her. Media has so much importance, it shouldn't, specially concerning a story such as this one, be used to pervert the truth. Bless that lady and to that village in France
Omg her opening line really hit me. “He was married to me all of his life, and I’m going to be married to him for all of my life.”
A beautiful example of true love and steadfast devotion.
This made me cry! Some ppl live 6 weeks together to realize they wont find someone else... What a lady, what a woman, what a human being!
Sadly, a dying breed
@@jamesobrian1643 hard to find another lady like her
me too...so sad beautiful ❤😭
She is special. Sorry god did not give them more together. But her love kept him and their love alive. God bless them
I am a tour guide on the Normandy landing beaches and I tell this story 5 times a week...I can tell you that Peggy Harris' story is quite an emotional moment of my speech,according to my visitors tears...9387 soldiers buried in this cemetery,9387 stories we could tell in honor of these young men.
Laurent GOURNAY: THANK YOU for YOUR service!
Thank you for keeping this airman's memory alive.
Thank you!
Laurent, I live in Les Ventes and I'm American. Billie Harris is a strange thing here. He more or less "fell out of the sky". People here see him as a kind of gift or curse from heaven depending on if one sees it from his or their standpoint. I'm well-informed seeing I've lived in this area for 20 years over a 45 year-period and the respect given to Billie Harris is linked to the Air Force Base "105" which is 15km from here which used to be a US Air Force Base.
I thought I'd update this info now because people of the village are so interested in this story and being American I wanted to chip in my two cents. This "fallen from heaven" narrative is taking on a whole new form of it's own, in terms of urban legend.
There's nothing wrong with that because that's how things are remembered. People create things from their ideas about them and their wish to make them live OR NOT. I'm just adding my own pinch of salt to it. I know I'm very late in joining the bandwagon. Peggie was 60 years late. I'm 45 years late. So, you see, there's progress.
Au fait, je parle français aussi. A plus peut-être. En fait, c'est tout un truc, ici. C'est sympa, je pense. Mon père était GI de l'Armée de L'Air aussi, musicien de fanfare sur une base en Californie, à San Diego.
J'ai un peu d'expérience de ces sujets donc, de ce fait.
Thanks for your interest anyways. Goodbye.
@@ObamasTheBeast
Just out of curiosity, what point are you trying to drive home? What's the update that you're providing? Who sees him as a curse...neo Nazis? Do you think the village that he spent his last strength steering his crippled fighter away from is trying to make him larger than life? If I were a decedent of people who may have died had he just given up, I'd do anything I could to honor his integrity also.
I'm probably missing something, but not sure where you were going with what you wrote. Thanks for any clarification!
Billie made the best decision in his life when he married her, sadly he didn't live to reap the reward.
Maybe so. But what about Peggy? Did she make good decisions by waiting for someone you might expect not to be coming back? Not moving on, but clinging to sorrow and despair a whole life by being married to a dead person. It's really sickening to me.
She loved her husband so much that she refused to let herself find another man to love. It is very sad.
So many men could wish for a woman as loyal and loving as her. But I am sure he was equally as amazing of a man! What a story!
I'm sorry that you have never known such love. There is no reason to believe that Peggy spent her life clinging to sorrow and despair. She had come to terms with the idea that her husband was most likely dead. She told reporters that her husband loved here til death and she would honor him by doing the same. She gave up searching for him decades ago. It was his cousin who picked up the search again in these last years. Did she want answers? Of course. But that doesn't mean that she didn't pursue a rich and rewarding life on her own.I see her as a strong and faithful woman.
Rene Christoph,
I understand your prospective, but I think that you're mistaking Peggy's devotion for sorrow. My grandmother never remarried nor even dated after my grandfather's passing, but she was not unhappy. She just loved my grandfather. Peggy just loved Billy and I'm sorry that you can't see the beauty in that.
6 weeks of marriage, 60 years of waiting. This is a love few will likely ever know. In an age of cheap, disposable love, this is a high standard to which to attain. Thank you for sharing this awe inspiring story. I read it through tear-filled eyes.
This pure love and wonderful loyalty had me in tears
Six weeks with Peggy would have been worth more than 50 years with any other woman. Saw this four years ago and it still brings tears to my eyes.
George Jetson Just came across this after seeing it when it originally aired and it also brought tears to my eyes. Incredible story about an American hero, his devoted wife and the country that continues to honor him long after his passing.
Wow what a shame. 60 years of not knowing. My mother received a letter from the Army telling her that her husband was killed in action. A couple years later she met my father and had two children. Then her first husband returns and was not killed , but was a pow. He would hang around outside under a street light hoping to see her. My father was also a vet from Darby's Rangers and suffered from ptsd all his life. He passed away at the age of 48. My mothers first husband contacted my mother many years later and they talked several times on the phone until he passed away. I spoke with her a few years before she passed and she was happy she had the chance to talk with him. It must have been quite the burden all those years.
Omg wow yah that must have been hard and sad for your mom. I wonder how often that has happened to many wife’s thinking their husband died and find out later they alive. 😢
wow, that is heartbreaking! he would sit outside! It😭
SO SAD
What a terrible sad story.
1966grappler wowwww that’s CRAZYYYY that sounds like a movie!! This was ww2? Did she decide to go back to him!? What do you do in a situation like that when you’re first love you think was killed in war and you move on have a family then to find out he is alive and wants to reconnect with you that is an amazing & sad story
Thornberry sounds like every other politicians out there. They just don't care about their constituents till they have been publicly called out. His response is a standard apology that all of them issue.
That being said RIP Billie Harris and thank you for your service and the love you had shown your beautiful bride who has been a pillar of strength and devotion. God bless both of them. Thank you Steve Hartman for the telling of a story that none of us would have never known. Thank you to all the people of the small village for honoring them both.
"How long did you wait ?"
"All my life "
Short words at heart :)♡
Why is it so hard to find this type of love these days. It's bullshit.
ciyean I know right
I agree
Social media and Internet sucks.
Where are you looking 🤷
Mac Thornberry should apologize to this beautiful lady. This mystery could have been solved ages, ago. God, bless the wife, cousin, and people of Normandy, France. Thanks, for this story!
Have they run him outta town yet? What a coward...maybe he shoulda fell in Normandy.
Except its not true..
ua-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/v-deo.html
He should apologize in person.
I believe he should have been let go of his position. How can he serve the people, when he couldn't or wouldn't look into this matter regarding a soldier missing and his widow searching for tge truth. I hope the government gave her all his benefits.
Unfortunately thornberrys ineptitude is standard procedure. No one cares about an elderly woman until a story like this comes out and embarrassed him. An apology from a politician isn't worth much. A SIMPLE search on the internet could've been done by his staffers but she wasn't worth it. There are thousands of experiences like this that we will never know about. Shameful!
What a faithful woman she is for being loyal to her husband for so long even though she never knew his fate to her satisfaction.
No wonder Thornberry did not wish to talk to you. He should be ashamed to show his face anywhere after that. That is horrid. She is more merciful and forgiving than I think I could be...... She is such a beautiful awesome person.....
ua-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/v-deo.html
@@kathleenclark815 That story ran 1 year after this CBS published this story .... do you think Thornberry would have run that story if not for the CBS story? C'mon.
@@bodhief This comment was a year ago dude. I don't care ...c'mon 🙄
"You have to learn to be forgiving." Thank God she found him.
I can only imagine why the congressman didn't want to talk with them. Such loyalty is admirable and she is a wonderful woman. Congressman Thornberry should be ashamed of himself.
Weasel
I'm guessing he handed it over to a staff member to handle, and someone was careless in looking up the info. I'm glad he (eventually) apologized.
ua-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/v-deo.html
@@dugroz ua-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/v-deo.html
@Adam Fears Because all it is is this lady bashing the news for using her to attack Thornberry. It's pretty obvious how this version of things is manipulated to make the congressman look bad. The only Fake News here is the version where Thornberry did something wrong.
French civilians taking care during sixty years of a forgotten American aviator.
I got to meet Peggy last weekend and she was wonderful! This is such an incredible and heartbreaking story 💕
wow! thank you for sharing...many blessings to you.. how humbly it must have been to meet peggy!
I’m so sorry a thoughtless, self absorbed politician was too busy to ask someone to check for him. Clearly, he was much too important & busy to check himself but he surely could’ve asked someone to check for him. Then, to give her that half apology! She deserved so much more. Her husband deserved more from his Countryvabd those that represent that Cpuntry. He never was brought home. At least, His would die could’ve been told the truth. He gave everything & it still wasn’t enough. I’m so sorry. Ms Peggy deserved so much better.
0:38 she is one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. Her heart is just as beautiful.
Some people wonder if Peggy made a good decision "Not to re-marry" you need to remember that tho "thru the yrs" she eventually came to the descision that he was most likely killed in the war, she wanted answers, needed those answers, & as his wife (widow) she deserved those answers. As ALL military wifes do, current & past. Did Peggy make a good decision to Not re-marry ? I believe she did yes but then its NOT up to me in anyway. it is her choice as his wife, only hers ! as part of the greatest generation who saved this country & others from the Nazi's, She & her husband, Billy deserve our highest respect & graditude for keeping this country free when it could of been lost !
She lived up to her vows, not just the words but to the spirit of their vows. & as far as Billy Not reaping any rewards for marring Peggy, "He did", she was a loyal wife ALL of her life. & that's saying something, wives to be now days can't even make it to the church/vows without having cheated. WE (people in general) don't have or aren't raised with the value's that were found in those days, along with having a religious or spiritual foundation to draw help from. that's my 4 cents !
What an incredible story. What a beautiful tribute from the people of Les Avants. Mac Thornberry should be ashamed of himself.
Bless her heart devotion sometimes can be a hard thing in the long wait can never see your spouse again except on the other side
There are some days, we went to look and pray at the tomb of the aviator Billie D. Harris. There is no greater sacrifice that one can do than give his life for his neighbor. For him it was the choice of not crashing more about a village in France after his plane was hit and chose to crash in a forest near sparing the villagers. He thus left behind his young wife who Attenda for years.
We wish, my wife and me to introduce you to Mrs. Harris, family and friends our deepest thoughts. He rests in peace next to his companions of the conflict to the American cemetery Collevile-sur-Mer.
Our sincere thoughts Family GUTHLEBEN
Aimé GUTHLEBEN: THANK YOU for posting this! You are a kind soul! God bless you and yours!
Wow. Thank you.
so beautiful! thank you!
What a wonderful and inspiring story. Truly incroyable. Merci
Seeing her standing at her husband's grave.. ?...
***tears*** Hearing his name spoken during the ceremony... ?... double ***tears*** Mac Thornberry should
be ashamed of himself. Disgustingly immoral behavior.
She just passed away a couple of months ago. I live in Altus, OK where Peggy and her father in-law worked on the base here. It's a precious story.
🥀🖤💔🖤🥀❤💓❤🥀🖤💔🖤🥀
Very touching, very few American woman who wait their husband to long, and stay faithful to him, I'm from the, Philippines. I salute all the soldier veterans of ww2.
when I went to visit the American cemetery in Normandy my tour guide told us about her
Cried like a baby. Such a good story
I dont know how I ended up here...thank you UA-cam algorithms. I'm crying at work and proud that this woman was able to visit and know in her heart what happened to her husband. God Bless her and God Bless the USofA for helping to liberate Europe and rid the world of the evil that was Nazis and fascists. Never forget!!!
Tears as I'm writing to say how beautifully moving this story was to me.
This is so loving a memory of a woman that loved for 60 plus years.
My step grandfather went missing too. My grandmother did remarry but always knew he was out there. People said he crashed into the Pacific Ocean, then people said he was kidnapped, then others said he was alive. He was never found. But we are having a memorial service this summer. Before my step grandfather went missing my grandmother just had a baby girl at least she had a little bit of him. My grandmother would go on and have two more kids with her second husband. But I will never forget my first grandfather I never got to meet.
I’m an SF vet of 3 tours(OIFx2 and OEF), retiring after I was hit on my last tour. It is everyone’s greatest fear to be forgotten completely, whether alive or dead. The deceased I served with will not be forgotten. This man was also a superhero. Honor their memory, people. They gave everything, dammit. This breaks me up, it should for you, too. God Bless our vets and those we’ve lost.
⚘Love~Honour~Respect~Peace⚘
I appreciate your heart, service, and dedication. Thank you for all you have done in the name of Freedom☆¤☆
May the LORD bless you; especially with Comfort and Peace⚘
This is how you define a true love. May God bless her beautiful soul and R.I.P Billie.
Someday, you two will be reunited....up above in heaven.
Very touching story. Normally I´m not the kinda guy who gets watery eyes very easily, but this videoclip did the job quite well. It must have been terrible for Peggy to get all those conflicting messages back in the days - first getting told he was dead then getting told he was alive and would be going home and then again told he was dead. And then waiting for 6 decades phewwww...I don´t think many people would be able to cope with that. However I do understand why Billy fell for her back then. Peggy was (and of course still is) a very beautiful woman :-)
+Matta Fochar ...and PS: I know that Congressman Thornberry did a sloppy job not investigating thoroughly enough. But instead of spamming this comment-section with your hate towards Mr. Thornberry - maybe you should blame the people who gave her wrong information from 1944 until 2005 instead. And focus on the good side of the story - that finally Peggy got a bit more of peace on her mind about what happened to her husband back in 1944.
@@sukhmaidickoff As one of her political representatives he should have looked into this with a lot more effiency than he did,it would have saved this lady years of not knowing.
My grandfather was buried in a small village in France in 1917. I wonder if his remains were transferred somewhere. He fought for the British Army, in the calvary, caring for horses that pulled the cannon caissons.
Check the commonwealth graves commission, they will advise you of his burielplace.
thanks, I tried searching for Augustus Harriss, Pvt, British forces (cavalry) from London England, sometime in spring 1917. "Zero results"
Sue does his regiment have a museum? could try their, or the war museum?
thanks John, but I have no idea,, just know he loved horses so they put him in the Calvary. No idea why his name doesn't come up. Not sure what town he was born in, Grandma came from Hastings and they moved to London to open a butcher shop in the early teens.
You may have been too specific with your search terms - often searching with less words is more fruitful. Please go to your local public library and they can give you some tips on finding foundation information that you need in order to find his service record, etc. for instance finding him in the 1901 census would give you place of birth. (Hope this helps- from a retired librarian).
That's some serious dedication.
WoW! Wonderful people in this story with the exception of that congressman..
This man should have been awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor!! Conspicuous valor and service above and beyond the call of duty! I’d say saving a town met both those criteria. His old company may not be around anymore but those that aren’t become other companies and whoever is in charge should be reached and told the story so Billie’s sacrifice is known and remembered on this side of the pond. He was a hero. And his actions deserve to be rewarded!
He crashed in the woods.
Might as well give everyone a medal of honor in that case.
@@killermogle yep, and that medal has been awarded to plenty who did exactly what Harris did, sacrificing themselves so that others could live. Just how many stories out of WWII include an entire town that are so appreciative decades later of such a sacrifice? There might be merit to looking into the action. He was awarded a DFC for his actions, but it might be worth a look to see if that could be upgraded and presented to a family member in France. Thornberry had no clue that he missed such a huge political gold mine.
What an amazing story and an amazing lady.
Steve Hartman does a great job!
I never cried so hard in my life.
So sad she had to go through that when all he time the answer to her question about the fate of her husband was so readily available.😢 Bless the French townspeople for their gratitude too!💖
I'm gonna write some thing:
I really felt my heart break.
"Love' these days is treated like dust. Swept away into the dustbin.
I gave up on love after a female turned my life into a playground. Jump in, create chaos, leave, return, create chaos leave...repeat.
Then came a failed marriage. Girl with extreme temper issues, and thyroid problems. Ongoing divorce.
People do not understand love and know what it means.
It's really great that this lady remained waiting for her man to return all those years. Only to know that he was KIA.
It must have been really hard to take in.
red knight ah damn, sounds like you’ve been through a lot too! Thanks for sharing your message 🙌🏽
This video left me dripping with tears :(
This is how all heroes should be honored. I want you to know how much this moved me.
Thank you so much for finishing this story. A foreign country treated an American soldier with the memory that he deserved. Our country should have done the same. 🇺🇸
👍👍👍
If all people were like the ones in that small town...
It does make me feel good that the people of France are so grateful for the sacrifices of the Americans. I know an immigrant here in America from France and on this last D-day in 2017 he publicly made a video to thank the Americans for saving them from the Germans.
Now that's love. I go to France every year with my family to holiday in Normandy. We go camping with our 3 kids. We travel from Ireland. I've an interest in Dday so I visit all the sites. Definitely will visit Billies grave, the next time I'm there.
Her sober personality reflects her sincerity, you can trust such people blindly. True love kept her and will keep her strong and going. My God what a lady.
Amazing story. Thank you Steve Hartman. Billie Harris God Bless Rest In Peace. A lifetime of waiting with an unexpected blessing, her husband loved and honor by the French people who saw him die.
How does one dislike this story? It's so moving and amazing.
At least the like votes are over 98% of the total: 1009 to 16 as of March 17, 2018
I am not afraid to tell this, I cried. That story touched me. God bless you, Peggy!! She's my hero! So is Billie! My fellow vet.
I’m so pleased this story found its way onto our television. This is indeed the longest wait for a Hero returning to those who love him, his wife Peggy and to his grateful Nation, the United States and of course, the beautiful people who cared for and buried him in France. Thank you & May God Bless Each One of You. And, To the Beautiful Peggy, my deepest sympathy. He’s a Hero. You’ll see him again. 🙏✝🇺🇸🇫🇷
Thank you to all families that had a member serve and give their lives for others.
Peggy passed away on April 14th, 2020 at the age of 95. She's with her beloved Billie now ❤️.
I will watch this a million times and each time I see her break down in tears so do I! what a wonderful woman!
My grandpa was on the beach that day in Nornandy. 255 in his troop and only 4 survived. He was one of them. He lived to be 90.
The true definition of "Bittersweet" RIP, Billie
This woman is one of a kind in this era. She is truly amazing that her loyalty and fidelity to her husband will end only till her lifetime ends. True love will never, never, never die and fade, but stays forever within her heart. 1st Lt. Billie Harris had truly found a paragon wife whose traits are amiable, affectionate and many more good adjectives to describe her.
Wow them onions are ripe this year blimey.
I am a Nepali citizen from Asia and can't understand English . I just know very few words only so I am completely unable to communicate my feelings and respect to the lady who sacrificed not only her dreams but entire life for her long lost husband.
I do salute to this great lady. The God may bless you.And also want to thank for those who brought it to us.
she have the GOLD HEART
#HERO who showed a lifetime of Love in one action, still felt so strongly till this day. #Love conquers all in the name of Christ Jesus amen.
Crying like a Baby 😥😥😥So few will ever know love This True I've Never even come Close and I could only dream..😇😇😇💙💙
I was really cutting onions while watching this.... It was a really strong one 😭
This video was tear inducing and very poignant. The unadulterated love she has for him is beautiful!
Shes still one beautiful lady still from the 1900s and is still talking and walking perfectly fine!❤ 🇺🇸
So happy she is now able to know where he is and what happened to him.
she's an angel
Quality of a pure heart and love..
i cry for the Peggy Harris when she went to French again
MR BILLY WAS VERRY HANDSOME, HIS SMILE, HIS EYES. MRS HARRIS DISERVE TO HAVE HIS LOVE. HE IS THE HERO.
It has been 7 years passed now. Since I haven't seen my crush. But it feels like it was yesterday when I saw her first time. It was Sunday afternoon the moment I saw her..... My heart rate rapidly increased. My friends thought I got a problem with breathing. But only I know what was that..... It was love at first sight..... I didn't tell her about my feelings..... Because I think that she deserves better than me.....she was one year senior to me... I didn't have the confidence to tell her.....I just wanted to see her happy..... I think I stuck on her...... And now it has been 7 years passed..... I haven't dated any other girl..... Because when I think about a date with another girl..... Suddenly her face comes in my mind..... No other girl can replace her in my life..... Now I am 27 years old..... Don't know what I am doing with my life..... Maybe this life for her.....
People asked why she didn’t move on and remarried.. she said:”if he’s sacrificed and only married to me- I will only married to him too. But If he’s still alive, I will always wait for him”
😭 what a true love - only 6 weeks together but waited almost 70 years just to visit his grave 😭
I was today years old when I first learned of the unbelievable and beyond heartbreaking sacrifices of both 1st Lt. Billie D. Harris and his dear wife Mrs. Peggy Harris. I am truly gutted for them, in tears as I write this. Life on this fallen Earth is so very hard, and trouble is so ever present. It is a lot for we pitiful human beings. All that can be said now is I pray that you both rest in sweet heavenly peace, eternally forever in the arms of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, Mr. and Mrs. Harris. Thank you forever, today and every day, for your great love of humanity and for this country, dearly Beloved. Well done, Faithful Soldiers. Well done. See you again. 🤍🕊✝ 🤍🕊✝
This is a definition of what true love is.
Shocking, amazing, beautiful!
In the same time...
So Billie Harris got buried in Normandy France? Wow. So touching. Thank you for sharing.
I was at American Cemetery in Normandy three weeks ago and paid our respect to Mr. Harris’ grave. His grave was well visited by many tour groups whom their guides told them about their extraordinary story. I’m so glad I made it to pay respect to him.
Wow, this man was shot in the air and could have destroyed a town, but he remained conscious enough to direct himself to the woods and essentially die as he crashed. Hero. The town proceeds to name a street after him, and bury him with a big cross, high honor and flowers. Then he's taken to the Normany graves. Wow. The French are truly terrific. Shame on congressman Mac Thornberry.
A very faithful wife, an unforgettable story.
Dude, all romcoms hold no candle to this story. That was touching AF. I almost cried.
THIS IS A PRECIOUS STORY. ULTRA SAD BUT ALSO ULTRA SPIRITUALLY UPLIFTING.
April 14th 2020 Peggy and Billie were reunited. Rest in peace Mrs Harris
Beautiful lady. Inside and out. So sorry my dear for all you went through
Pt 2 made me cry! I bet the town wondered where his love ones were. She will see Billy 1st when it's here time to return to heaven. I promise.
look at thornberry's video on youtube about this amazing story. he does not allow comments! you show you're no friend of the people. RIP BILLIE
...it'd be so good to see them eventually meeting...and some souls may see it...
What a Love Story without equal. Young people could learn from such love. Wow!
Wonderful lady, wonderful story.
😭💕💞💜❤️what a beautiful love story 🌺
Thank You Steve
For telling us this beautiful story!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thornberry represents what is wrong with our gov ....plain & simple.
Might was to watch this whole follow up video, genius.
ua-cam.com/video/dPvNYW0yI2g/v-deo.html
How can you not love all Veterans & their families!
Aww God Bless I couldn’t hold my tears for this lady oh my goodness my heart goes out to her especially when she cried I just would have loved to be there to hug her oh God Bless Her that was a very touching heartfelt Story 🙏🏻❤️
She held on to her pain for so long.
A very touching story. Thank you so much.
The story really brought tears to my eyes! I’m glad that Ms. Peggy finally got the closure after having waited for 6 decades! We’re going to visit the American Cemetery in Normandy this coming week and will visit Mr. Harris’ grave to pay our respect to him.