Harold Gene Ayers was born in Boones Creek, Washington County, Tennessee on 4 October 1947. He grew up in the South Central Community, Chuckey, Washington County, Tennessee. Harold attended Lamar High School and was a member of the "L" Club having lettered in Track. Harold left school during his Junior year to enlist in the United States Army. He enlisted at Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee in January 1965 with service number 14857206 at the age of 17 with his parent's approval.

After completing training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and at Fort Gordon, Georgia, Harold volunteered for and completed the basic airborne course (Jump School) at Fort Benning, Georgia earning his jump wings. During this time period, Harold was allowed a 14 day leave, so he could come home to visit parents, family and friends and to show off his new uniform. He was then dispatched to Fort Riley, Kansas. Once there, he was assigned to 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, "The Big Red One Division" as a Light Weapons Infantryman (11B). Here he met his newly minted Platoon Leader, Second Lieutenant James Earl Parker, Junior to continue his training. In early September 1965, the Big Red One was alerted and ordered to deploy to Vietnam. Harold and his platoon boarded a train at Fort Riley on 17 September headed for California.       

The train arrived the railroad terminal at the Oakland Naval Base on 20 September and the soldiers started to board the United States Ship (USS) General W. A. Mann (AP-112), an old World War II troop transport. Harold's tour of duty in Vietnam began on 21 September 1965 when the USS Mann weighed anchor and headed for South Vietnam with 2800 soldier from the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. While at sea, training continued for the soldiers. The USS Mann arrived off the coast of Vietnam on 8 October and dropped anchor. Harold and the soldiers started to disembark the ship the following day and taken to shore by small landing crafts called LSDs (landing ship, dock). There they loaded up and were trucked to their staging area near Bien Hoa, Dong Nai Province.

On their fourth evening in country, 13 October, 3rd Platoon was tasked with doing a nighttime ambush patrol near a village. Harold was to see his first action in Vietnam, as point man, he led out the patrol. They spent the night laying in the jungle and returned to base the next morning reporting no engagements. After nearly seven weeks in country, the platoon hadn't seen any real action other than some sniper and a mortar attacks on the base, but this was soon to change. Over the next few months, Harold and the platoon were in numerous operations and in one he was slightly wounded along with Sergeant Castro. They both came out of the jungle each carrying a wounded brother in a fireman's carry and as they loaded them on a Dust-Off helicopter, they both waved it off and went back with the rest of the platoon. Harold had become close with Sergeant Miguel Angel Castro-Carrasquillo a Puerto Rican. When Harold was on point, his preferred spot a lot of the time, Castro was always close by. 

Harold was killed in action at age 18, while participating in a security patrol operation with his platoon of the Michelin Rubber Plantation near Dau Tieng, Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam on 26 June 1966. Lieutenant Parker wrote quite a bit about Harold and this engagement in his book: Last Man Out – A Personal Account of the Vietnam War. In Chapter 11 titled War Is War, he writes this the morning after all have returned back to the base: "Suddenly I had trouble breathing. I took a deep breath every few minutes, and I finally had to get away from my work. I walked across the airstrip and sat down. Looking back at the CP, I tried to think about nothing. Don't moralize. I said to myself, my lips moving. Nothing to do, nothing to say. Just sit here quietly, everything will be okay.

 Then clearly, in my mind's eye, I saw Ayers and Castro moving quietly through the jungle that night. The sudden, deadly firefight. I saw Ayers fall. His finger still on the trigger of his M-16, he fell backwards without expression, his M-16 firing into the night. Then Castro, moving forward, caught in a deadly hail of fire with bullets, one after the other, going through his chest, getting knocked around by the impact, coming to rest finally on top of Ayers. The sound of battle fading as they died.

 I could no longer keep looking at the two lumps lying under the ponchos, and I stared, transfixed, running imagined nighttime engagement over and over again in my mind. Finally I focused on the peacefulness that was surely on their faces." He also wrote a bit later: "A medevac helicopter came in sometime later that morning and took away their bodies. Emotionally paralyzed, I watched from a distance.

 I would never be the same again."      

For his actions, Harold received the Purple Heart, National Defense, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign, Vietnam Gallantry Cross & Good Conduct Medals. He rests in the Seviers Methodist Church Cemetery, Jonesborough, Tennessee in Row 10, Grave 9. Harold's also commemorated on the Vietnam Memorial Wall: Panel 08E, Line 096 in Washington, D.C.   

Harold's the son of Oscar Vernal Ayers and Rose Marie Rice. Oscar served in the United States Army during World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart Medal for being wounded in action. Harold's brother Johnny also served in the United States Army.