Harry McKillop Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service Award by President Bush

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“I am equally honored by the sincerity, caring and understanding that President Bush showed when he presented the award to me,” Mr. McKillop said. “The President not only knew about our many efforts through the years to find missing Americans, but he understood the meaning behind it all, for which I am most rewarded and grateful.”

The saga of Harry McKillop’s worldwide humanitarian campaigns began dramatically in 1969 when he directed and managed the massive logistics of a high-profile trip of the wives of American Prisoners of War to Vietnam to provide supplies and relief to our POWs there. While the supplies never made it through Communist governments there to the American POWs, a strong message to the world did. More importantly, the POWs themselves heard of the effort, and for them it was a critical sign of caring and hope, and sparked renewed will to make it the rest of the way.

Mr. McKillop made additional trips in the 70’s and 80’s to Vietnam, as well as Laos and Cambodia, to continue the search for and ultimately the return of Americans there. While Mr. McKillop himself was never part of the spotlight, his work definitely was, as world attention was repeatedly focused on the trips and the plight of American POWs and MIAs from the Vietnam War.

Mr. McKillop’s interest and tireless efforts in helping other Americans and supporters continued long afterwards, including the recovery of 170 Nung Vietnamese from High Island, Hong Kong for relocation to the United States and assisting a family of six in their escape to the United States during the Kosovo Crisis. He still pursues active searches today on a global basis. One of many examples is that of Mr. McKillop’s efforts to bring Marjorie Fuller home to America. Ms. Fuller was a young lady living in China with her parents prior to World War II. When the Japanese invaded China, she was taken as a Prisoner of War for the entire war. After the war, she was so embarrassed by this experience that she chose to remain in China.

The Chinese decided she was a CIA agent (she was not) and held her in prison for over 40 years. Harry McKillop learned about Ms. Fuller and over an extended period of time, he convinced the Chinese to release her, and personally brought her to the United States and arranged for her to live in a retirement home in Baltimore, Maryland where she wanted to live. Harry visited Ms. Fuller once a month until she passed away in 2006. Because she had no family, Mr. McKillop had her buried in his family’s private burial plot in McKinney, Texas.

Harry McKillop continues to pursue additional leads of POWs, and in particular eight men whom he believes are still alive from the Vietnam War. He is also still involved in locating and returning the remains of Ambassador Raul Wallenberg, a World War II protector of refugees, to his Swedish homeland; resolving a purported kidnapping and incarceration in Costa Rica; and locating an MIA pilot in the Middle East.

Of strong Irish heritage, Harry McKillop was born and raised in the U.S and served as a naval officer aboard the USS Phoenix in the Pacific during World War II. He is an accomplished airline executive by profession, which initially put him in positions of opportunity to get involved early on in global projects.

In 2003, The Harry McKillop Irish Spirit Award was established to honor the life and work of Mr. McKillop, whose lifelong commitment to principle and “Irish Spirit” values has fueled his dedication to helping people and saving lives. Each year the award is given to a person of Irish or Irish-American descent, selected by the Award’s Trustees, the Ireland Funds and the Dublin and Belfast Chambers of Commerce for the individual’s extraordinary acts of humanitarianism.

Mr. McKillop is a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus, and is a former Grand Knight of the New World Council 9903 in McKinney, and a member of the 4th Degree Assembly 2266 in Plano, Texas. He has also been honored by the McKinney Fire Department as an Honorary Battalion Chief.

For additional information please see the Harry McKillop Biographical Background and Summary of Humanitarian Missions

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