Harvey Taylor “HT” Bryant Jr. was born on October 21, 1921, in Jamestown, Smith County, Texas. He was the son of Harvey Taylor Bryant and Molsie Rebekah Johnson Bryant. Harvey served in Company F, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, as a Private during World War II.

On the night before D-Day, June 6, 1944, American paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division were deployed near Sainte-Mère-Église, France. The town had recently been attacked, and a fire ignited by a stray bomb had drawn German soldiers and villagers into the town square to form a bucket brigade. The area was well-lit due to the fire, and when two planes mistakenly dropped paratroopers directly over the village, they became exposed and easy targets for the Germans.

Among the paratroopers who were Killed in Action was Pvt Bryant, who was shot in a pole. He is now buried in the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, Departement du Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France. Pvt Bryant was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in recognition of his bravery and sacrifices.