A graduate of Franklin High School in Portland, Oregon, Harry Niehoff enlisted in the U. S. Marines in 1940 and was a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor; he served through World War II in the Pacific Theater, rising to the rank of Sergeant and earning the Silver Star for bravery in action at the Battle of Tarawa, and the Bronze Star with Combat V for his actions under fire at the Battle of Saipan; he also held two Purple Hearts for wounds inflicted from shrapnel from a Japanese mortar (Tarawa) and the explosion of a hand grenade (Saipan). After the war, he returned to Oregon where he owned and operated an upholstery shop.