Served 1942-1945

 

A young boy of only 22, Morris got drafted into the army.  One day, Morris and his wife, Arta, were herding turkeys in Monroe he heard on his brother's radio in his truck that they had to draft young men into the army.  He went to Piute to register to get drafted. 

In 1942 he went to Salt Lake City to Fort Douglas the day after Christmas so it was very, very cold.  They had to report there that day.  Brandon Horton was Morris' friend from Piute.  Morris was in charge of him.  Morris had to go through lots of tests.  Morris had never in his life trained to be in the Air Force, but he said that he wanted to be in it.  He was a cadet and a private.

Buckley Field, Colorado was his first place he went.  It was during winter in January and February.  He had to wade in the snow with regular shoes. He had never had boots.  President Roosevelt had more cadets than airplanes to ship over seas, so the people went to Normandy Beach Head. 

Morris received training in mechanics.  He had to take classes.  There was a song written about a B24 bomber airplane.  He doesn't remember what it was called, but he had an idea about what it was about.  It was:  With one motor gone, we still come in with a wing and a prayer. 

While Morris was training at the base, Arta had a baby boy.  She named him Steven.  Arta brought Steve to the base in May. 

Morris had heard that in the repair shop, where they line the B24s up, someone hadn't tightened the nut on the propeller, the propeller swung around and hit a kid in the arm and the kid's arm broke. 

Morris got really sick when he was in training just before he was going to fly out.  He was sent to Davis Mothen Field, Tucson, Arizona.  He got a medical discharge and the doctor said that he would be lucky if he would live for six months. 

He got a discharge in 1945.  Brandon Horton had to leave the army also and he died shortly after he got home.  If Morris hadn't got sick he would have had to fly over Germany.  Right where the action was really bad.  Morris joined the American League in 1952.  Morris is now 80 years old.