Michael Harris, USMC Veteran

Michael Harris was born and raised in a small Midwest town in Ohio. His mother planted the seeds of serving his country at an early age by never failing to remind him of the contributions and sacrifices Black Americans had made in the name of freedom for this country. She had grown up without her father who had made the ultimate sacrifice during WWII as a Tuskegee Airmen.

Michael joined the Marine Corps after high school in 1979 serving as a ground radar technician. Using his newfound discipline, he also enrolled fulltime at Southern Illinois University where he pursued a major in electrical engineering. At the conclusion of his 4 years enlistment, he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps. He worked as an engineer at Litton Data Systems on several military and government programs that covered multiple branches including Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, DEA and Customs, as well as the Strategic Defense Initiative’s Star Wars program initially implemented by President Reagan which found new life to address deficiencies discovered during Operational Desert Storm).

While at Litton Data Systems Michael held top-secret security clearance and averaged nearly 50,000 frequent flyer miles a year flying to support, troubleshoot and train others in the use of NATO equipment.

After leaving defense contracting, he ran a family-owned small business, transforming it by becoming a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Small Business Enterprise (SBE), certified General Services Administration (GSA) vendor, and acquiring federal, state and local contracts with the Federal Courts Systems, the Democratic National Convention (DNC), California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Department of Los Angeles Airports and California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). Currently he consults as an independent contractor.

It’s been a number of years since he left that small town behind, but he hasn’t left behind the morals and values instilled upon him growing up in that small town. Respect others, be honest, always try to do the right thing and if it’s worth doing, do the best you can. The grandson of a Tuskegee Airmen, son of a former police officer, older brother to a Marine Corps veteran and a younger sister in law enforcement,  and being a Marine himself, Michael has a great appreciation for the Sheep Dogs of this nation. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.