Harold Offutt Francis was born July 28, 1921 in Austin, Texas. His father was completing a Master of Arts degree at the University of Texas. The family then moved back to Huntsville, Texas where his father continued teaching at the Sam Houston Normal Institute.
In June of 1925 the family moved to Kingsville, Texas where his father helped start the South Texas State Teachers College (which became Texas College of Arts and Industries, then Texas A & I University, and which is now Texas A & M --Kingsville)
Offutt received a Bachelor of Arts degree "cum laude" from Texas College of Arts and Industries on May 26, 1941 and continued his graduate studies during the Summer and following school year. In June 1942 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the Harlingen Air Gunnery School in Harlingen, Texas.
Because of poor eyesight he was not eligible for flight duty but became a member of the newly forming Army Air Corps Band playing cornet. In addition to their regular musical duties of "parade and review" and "retreat" and "concerts" at the post the band made many trips up and down the Lower Rio Grande River Valley for War Bond rallies with movie stars and other notable persons.
In January 1945 when the band was broken up and its members sent to many parts of the world Offutt was sent to Scott Field, Illinois for training as a high speed radio operator. He earned the top honors of his class and was on his way to California for assignment as radio operator for an infantry landing craft when V-J Day happened.
After being shuffled around several posts in the Sacramento, California area he was made an instructor in the Military Air Transport Command at Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base, California, teaching operation and minor maintenance of all radio type equipment on the C-54 type aircraft. He also taught Morse code to officers and enlisted personnel. At that time the buildings were all camouflaged and hidden under clumps of eucalyptus trees. There were many hundreds of C-54 and B-29 aircraft situated around the very large field.
In December 1945 he was given an honorable discharge and returned with his wife to their home in Kingsville, Texas.