Harry B. Drake was inducted into the Army on June 28, 1944 and was assigned to Company A, 383rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 96th Division.  On January 22, 1945 he departed for the Pacific and fought in the Philippines and Okinawa.  He was wounded in Leyte and received the Purple Heart.  He was discharged on April 15, 1946.  Following his service, he completed two years of college and participated in the GI Rehabilitation Program.  He worked on a daily newspaper for 30 years.  He married Patricia Patterson and had three children.