Honoring Veterans: Army Veteran Harry R. Truman

Harry R. Truman was born in October 1896 in Ivydale, West Virginia, and was raised by foster parents. He enlisted in the Army during World War I, where he was assigned to the 100th Aero Squadron, 7th Squad.

Truman trained as an avionic mechanic but soon found himself on the troopship Tuscania, en route to Europe. The Tuscania was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland, but while many of his fellow service members were killed, Truman was uninjured. He was honorably discharged on June 12, 1919, after the war ended.

As Truman returned to civilian life, he settled in Lewis County, Washington, with his family on 160 acres of farmland near Mount St. Helens. There, he took up prospecting and bootlegging during the Prohibition period. When he failed to strike it rich, he opened a gas station, grocery store and the soon-to-be-iconic Mount St. Helens Lodge. 

Known for his eccentricities—including a penchant for swearing, drinking Whiskey and Coke and driving a pink 1957 Cadillac—Truman’s outspoken opinions and fiery demeanor added a unique flavor to his persona. His life became intertwined with the mountain, and as threat of the Mount St. Helens eruption—and evacuation—loomed in 1980, he declined to leave.

In the final months leading up to the eruption, Truman became something of a folk hero. Interviews portrayed a man whose discipline and commitment to his beliefs overshadowed the impending catastrophe. Despite officials’ attempts to evacuate him, he stood his ground at the Mount St. Helens Lodge.

Truman and his 16 cats likely died painlessly of heat shock within one second during the pyroclastic flow after the eruption, and the Mount St. Helens Lodge was buried beneath 150 feet of volcanic debris.

“The mountain and the lake were his life. If he’d left and then saw what the mountain did to his lake, it would have killed him anyway. He always said he wanted to die at Spirit Lake. He went the way he wanted to go,” said friend John Garrity.

Today, the Truman Trail and Harry’s Ridge in the Mount St. Helens region are named after him.

We honor his service.

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s Honoring Veterans social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Writer: Lara Walker

Editors: James Bisceglia

Researcher: Raphael Romea

Graphic Designer: Alyssa Favorito