This week, the end of World War II in Europe in 1945 is being commemorated with parades and celebrations and, thanks to the diligence of a couple of Loganville women, a local United States Navy veteran who served in the conflict finally has his service honored on a headstone in Porterdale, Ga.

Benjamin Franklin Harrison, born June 8, 1925, joined the U.S. Navy on July 28, 1942 at the age of 17 and served four years, much of it during WW II. He was officially discharged from the Navy on July 10, 1946 at the age of 21 and subsequently registered for the draft.

Although he reportedly went on to marry and have six children, Harrison passed away on Dec. 20, 1963 at the young age of 39 and was buried in Porterdale, Ga. At that time, his family applied for an official military headstone noting his military service. But, although nobody knows the reason why, the headstone never arrived to be placed on his grave in Porterdale.

That is until now. 

Thanks to the persistence of the two Loganville women, along with some family members of the young WW II veteran, when the country honors veterans who are no longer with us on Memorial Day 2025, 1C Seaman Benjamin F Harrison finally also will have his service recognized with an official military marker on his grave.

“I have been doing genealogy research for over 13 years on my own family. I occasionally can be seen walking through cemeteries taking photos and getting information from the grave markers. A few months ago, my friend Marcia Mashburn, a resident of Loganville, told me that there was a grave marker in the field in front of her house and encouraged me to come look at it,” said Tamara Norman, also of Loganville. “I took a picture of it a few months ago and began to use Ancestry.com to attempt to find the family of the veteran who’s name appeared on the grave marker.”

Norman said within just a few hours she was able to find a possible relative and sent her a message via Ancestry.  

“A few weeks later Vicky Canter, who resides near Atlanta, responded to my message and was so excited to learn of the grave marker for her uncle that her family never knew existed,” Norman said. “(On May 2,) Marcia Mashburn, Vicky Canter and myself met at Marcia’s home on Virgil Moon Road, Loganville, and the marker was removed from where it has laid for the last 61 years. Vicky, her husband, and cousin were reunited with a grave marker belonging to her uncle who passed away in December 1963. He was buried in Porterdale, GA in 1963, but his grave never had his official military marker until today. Vicky, her husband and cousin took the marker from Loganville and placed it on Mr. Harrison’s grave.”

Contributed photos of the moving of the headstone to be transported to its final resting place.

Norman said it remains a mystery as to how and why it ended up in that field in Loganville instead of on his grave in Porterdale.

“However, a picture, a little time researching and reaching out to a descendant proved to be a happy ending to this story,” she said.

1C Seaman Benjamin Franklin Harrison now has his well-deserved Military grave marker on his grave in Porterdale.

Norman’s genealogy research uncovered the the following information about the young seaman.

Benjamin Franklin Harrison was born June 8, 1925 in Atlanta, GA to James Anderson Harrison and Leslie Eaton.  He was one of six children.  He had 3 brothers and 2 sisters.    Ironically, he had to complete a draft card on July 18, 1946, after serving in the Navy and while he was living in Laurens, SC.   On September 3, 1946 he married Clara Bow Smith in Laurens SC.  They had 6 children together- 3 boys and 3 girls.  At some time between 1954 and 1957 Benjamin and Clara moved back to Georgia. Their youngest daughter Audrey Diane died at 18 months old in 1961. After Mr. Harrison’s death, his wife Clara moved back to South Carolina and she remarried.  Mr. Harrison died of natural causes that were not military related.