Harmon Rabb

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Harmon Rabb Jr.
Image:Harmon Rabb photo.jpg
David James Elliott as Captain Harmon Rabb Jr.
First appearance A New Life (23/09/1995)
Last appearance Fair Winds and Following Seas (29/04/2005)
Cause/reason Series Ended
Portrayed by David James Elliott
Information
Occupation Judge Advocate in the United States Navy
Title Captain

Captain Harmon 'Harm' Rabb, Jr., JAGC, USN (played by David James Elliott) is a fictional and lead character in the American television series JAG.

In the pilot episode, he is introduced as a Judge Advocate with the rank of Lieutenant, and the viewer follows his career from that point as the series progresses. Considering the longevity of JAG, there is plenty of background information on his past life and military service that are given at various points in the series.

Contents

[edit] Youth & family

Harmon Rabb, Jr. was born on October 25, 1963 in La Jolla, California to naval aviator, Lieutenant Harmon Rabb, Sr. USN and Patricia Reed. He is a third generation aviator. His grandfather was killed flying off the USS Hornet in 1942 during the Second World War. During the Vietnam War, his father flew F-4 Phantoms off the USS Ticonderoga, the successor to the Second World War carrier. On Christmas Eve, 1969 while flying an Iron Hand mission, Harmon Rabb, Sr. was shot down while serving with then-lieutenant Thomas Boone, and was considered MIA. Harm's mother went on to happily remarry to Frank Burnett, a senior VP of Chrysler Corporation.

When he was 16, Harm went to Laos to look for his father together with Colonel Francis Stryker. Years later, Harm was able to trace his father's fate. After he was shot down, Harmon Rabb, Sr. was taken to Russia, escaped from his captors, was involved with a Russian woman (producing one son), and was killed protecting her from Russian soldiers in 1980. Harm met his half-brother, Sergeant Sergei Zhukov a helicopter pilot of the Russian Army (played by Jade Carter), who was accused of selling weapons to Chechen rebels. Sergei was later shot down and captured by Chechnya rebels.

Nearly every Christmas, Harm visits the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Christmas Eve to pay tribute to his father. In one episode, he met a Jenny Lake (played by Catherine Bell) who was present on the USS Ticonderoga when his father was shot down. In another Christmas, he invited his father's former wingman Rear Admiral Thomas Boone to the wall. Another year, Harm was surprised by Clayton Webb bringing his half-brother Sergei to see him at the wall, after Webb exchanged two trucks of wheat for Sergei's freedom from Chechnya.

[edit] Service

Harm during Season 10
Harm during Season 10

Harm graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1985. He went on to enter flight school and subsequently earned his gold wings. During his early naval career, Harm flew F-14 Tomcats. After an accident during a night landing on an aircraft carrier, in which his RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) dies, it is revealed that Harm suffers from night blindness (although in later seasons this is proved to be a mis-diagnosis). After graduating from law school at Georgetown University and passing his bar exam, he was transferred to JAG. After a few years as a Judge Advocate, he goes through laser surgery to correct what was misdiagnosed as night blindness (actually retinal scarring) and resumes his career as a naval aviator. Because of the low chance of him ever progressing further in his career as an aviator, Harm returned to JAG Headquarters after six months of service aboard the USS Patrick Henry. While on the USS Patrick Henry his call sign was "Pappy" because he was older than the other aviators. Later the other pilots re-named him "Hammer", because that was his father's call sign and that they thought that Rabb's father would have been impressed by his son's bravery.

In the season 8 episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown"--the pilot episodes for NCIS--Rabb is accused of killing Lt. Loren Singer (played by Nanci Chambers, David James Elliot's wife). He was defended by Lt. Cmdr. Faith Coleman (Alicia Coppola). Though NCIS Agent Gibbs initially thought he was the culprit, he finally was convinced of his innocence, but it was NCIS Agent DiNozzo who found the proof that exonerated him.

While serving at JAG, Harm still kept up to date with his flight status. At one point, after being denied leave from Admiral Chegwidden to rescue Mac, Harm resigned his commission from the Navy. He had a short stint working for the CIA before being fired. While flying for the CIA, Harm landed a C-130 Hercules onboard the aircraft carrier USS Seahawk.[1] Additionally, while working for this other branch of the government, Harm was certified in several different types of aircraft including the F/A 18 and C-130 among others. Harm was subsequently reinstated into the Navy and once again served at JAG Headquarters. Harm's USN service number is 989548301

[edit] Dates of Promotion

  • Promoted to Lieutenant Commander in episode 1.13 Defensive Action (original air date, March 20, 1996)
  • Promoted to Commander in episode 5.9 Contemptuous Words (original air date, November 23, 1999)
  • Promoted to Captain in episode 10.21 Dream Team (original air date, April 22, 2005) and authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 777 to assume the rank before official "pay grade" promotion by MajGen Cresswell.

[edit] Partners

[edit] Awards and Decorations

Naval Aviator Gold Wings
Naval Aviator Gold Wings
Harm's Ribbons
Harm's Ribbons

The list below contains all of Rabb's known awards and decorations (current as of season 10). The names are given in order of precedence, according to SECNAVINST 1650.1F and the U.S. Navy Uniform Regulations (NAVPERS 1566.5G).

Silver Star. Harm received it for leading a nuclear missile away from the USS Seahawk in an F-14 Tomcat.
Gold award star
 Distinguished Flying Cross (with gold award star). Harm received the first Distinguished Flying Cross for saving the CAG of the USS Seahawk after a mid-air collision and the second Distinguished Flying Cross for pushing his Wingman to safety using his wingman's tailhook and his F-14's windscreen.
Combat Action Ribbon
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Bronze service star
 National Defense Service Medal (with bronze service star)
Bronze service star
 Southwest Asia Service Medal (with bronze service star)
Kosovo Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Romanian Military Virtue Medal.[2] Harm was given the Medal by the King of Romania for saving the king's daughter. He is authorized to wear the medal with his awards.

Note: Harm was never awarded the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, but he would have qualified for it for his multiple participation in combat operations or in relative support of such operations in the Middle East.

[edit] Personal life

Harm lives in a small Washington DC loft apartment that he renovated himself. During the first few seasons of JAG, he smoked Cuban cigars occasionally but then later quit as he did not like being addicted to them. He used to own a classic red Corvette, but it was stolen. He later "rebuilt" it (the steering wheel he bought was from his original car) with help from his friend Cmdr. Sturgis Turner. Later, it suffered damage from a collision with an old woman attempting insurance fraud.

Harm owns a vintage Stearman plane that he named "Sarah" after his grandmother (not his partner). He likes to take friends up flying when he's not working.

Rabb likes olives, organic noodles (he eats at Ho's Organic Noodles) and Thai food, and plays guitar to relax. It is noted that he doesn't own a TV set at home.

Although the series' ending was left to the audience's imagination, one outcome is that Harm currently serves as the First Judge Advocate, Naval Forces Europe stationed in London, England with his wife, Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie. The other is that Harm retires from the Navy and lives in San Diego, CA with his wife, the aforementioned Sarah MacKenzie, the first commander of Joint Legal Service Center Southwest. When last seen Harm and Mac were engaged.

[edit] References

  1. ^ This was based on a true event when Lt. James Flatley III (USN) received the Distinguished Flying Cross for landing his C-130 Hercules on board the USS Forrestal (CV-59).
  2. ^ See Romanian National System of Awards
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