Reporter-News photo by Thomas Metthe Noble "Spike" Harris, 86, shows off the World War II collage that his son-in-law gave him for his birthday.

A recent gift celebrating the 86th birthday of Noble "Spike" Harris drew the Abilene man back to memories of his time in the military during World War II.

His gift, from son-in-law Gene Tomlinson of Abilene, was a collage celebrating not only Harris' birthday, but also his Navy service.

Harris, who has been in the real estate business in Abilene for 57 years, speaks with pride of his country. He looks at the collage of photographs and memorabilia and recalls the days when he was young and serving his country in World War II.

"I was not in battle," he said. "But I saw a lot of men go off to battle from Tulagi, Solomon Islands, where I was stationed."

The collage shows the tiny island and has an arrow pointing to the place where Harris served as a supply officer in the Navy.

The collage has a large picture of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., along with other memories. In the center is a picture of Harris in his Navy uniform.

Tomlinson didn't forget to put the insignia on the picture showing Harris as a lieutenant commander.

"I went to Harvard," Harris said. "Even that memory is in the collage."

Then he smiled and told how he happened to be a Harvard graduate.

"I enlisted in the Navy on Columbus Day (Oct. 12, 1942)," he said. "But they allowed me to finish the semester at Abilene Christian College, and I went to active duty on July 1, 1943."

Harris was sent to the Navy Supply Corps School at Harvard in Boston and finished May 31, 1944.

He said his first stop in the Pacific was in New Caledonia and then it was on to Tulagi.

Harris said the tiny island will always hold special memories for him. He and his men were in charge of 34 10,000-barrel tanks of oil and diesel. U.S. troops had invaded the island in August 1942. The Guadalcanal invasion was launched at the same time. The island of Tulagi was needed to supply fuel for the ships and for the land battles on other islands.

Harris said the ships would pull in, and his men would give them fuel.

"I remember the ships would be loaded with soldiers or Marines ready for battle," he said.

Harris also talked about Tulagi natives.

"They were living in thatched roof houses," he said. "We could drive around the whole island in a Jeep in about 15 minutes."

He said they could go into the small village and swap cigarettes for trinkets.

Harris and his wife, Bette, have been married for 61 years. They met at Abilene Christian College (now university) after the war. Bette Harris said her husband can still wear his Navy jacket.

"His pants seemed to have shrunk," she said, smiling at her husband.

Harris plans to hang his collage on the wall with other memorabilia.

"It is very special to me."

Then he looked at it once again, and his fingers moved to that tiny island marked with an arrow far out in the Pacific.

"I have so many memories of the Purvis Bay Fuel Tank Farm in Tulagi," he said. "I will look at the collage and think of the honor I had in serving my country."