World War II Honoree

William Francis Morris

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Maywood, California

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Fireman First Class. He was inducted into the United States Navy July 13, 1938 at Los Angeles, California, with recruit training at the U.S. Naval Training Station San Diego, California. After completing boot camp, he was transferred to the USS West Virginia Battleship, BB-48 for duty as a Fireman, and based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian Islands. On Sunday Morning, December 7, 1941 the Emperor of Japan’s Naval Aviators launched a devastating, surprise attack on the U.S. Naval Base and other military installation on Oahu. The Battleship along with her shipmates was moored on Ford Island, when the warship was attacked by five Torpedo Bombers. The torpedo warheads hit the battlewagon on her portside causing severe flooding, and she slowly capsized. Reported missing in action, lost at sea on the day of the attack. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the Honolulu National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, ‘Punchbowl’ Hawaii. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.