Army Col. Harrison was assigned to the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Harrison died at Pol-e-Charki of wounds suffered from small arms fire at a prison. Harrison was working as a mentor to Afghan troops providing external security for the prison.

James came from an Air Force family and spent much of his childhood in Germany where he played soccer. The family moved to Oscoda, Michigan as a result of his father's transfer to Wurtsmith AFB. In 1977, he graduated from Oscoda HS and attended the U.S. Military Academy from where he graduated in 1981. In December 2006, he was sent to Afghanistan as a detention policy expert with the Combined Forces Command Afghanistan.

James is remembered as a man with a keen sense of humor, sense of fairness, loyalty and expertise. He was committed to the mission in Afghanistan and spoke with pride about his fellow soldiers. James was the man who gave handmade Valentine's Day cards to female cadets at the U.S. Military Academy when the environment was lonely for them.