Howard Morris
Howard Philip “Chig” Morris (Dec. 9, 1922 – Sept. 6, 1945) was a soldier from Scott County who was killed during World War II.
See Also: Scott Countians killed in war
Biography
Born Dec. 9, 1922 in Rockwood, Tenn., Howard P. Morris was the son of Walter Thomas Morris (1893-1955) and Linda Mays (1893-1963). His siblings included Jack Francis Morris (1916-1931), Cecil Cornelius Morris (1917-1953), Lester Thomas Morris (1919-1965), Ray W. Morris (1921-1992), James B. Morris (1925-1997) and Mary Brown (1928-2017).
In 1931, when Howard was nine, his 15-year-old brother, Jack, was shot and killed by a 14-year-old playmate, Ora Lee Thompson, of Oneida. The accident occurred during a fishing trip on the Big South Fork River. Thompson apparently did not believe his gun was loaded, and pointed it at Morris and pulled the trigger, shooting him through the heart.
When Howard registered for the draft, he was employed by Aluminum Co. of America in Alcoa, Tenn. He registered in Knoxville, Tenn.
World War II
Cpl. Morris enlisted in the U.S. Army and died Sept. 6, 1945 from burns sustained in a ship explosion. The non-battle explosion occurred Sept. 4, 1945 on a J-boat that Howard was engineering.
According to a letter from his commanding officer, Lt. William G. Parker: “His Good friend and shipmate Clifford Rice from Manisque, Mich. Incurred severe burns seeing him safely ashore after the explosion had rendered Howard unconsious. Howard was given six blood transfusions and had a nurse with him 24 hours a day, however all the skill that the army medical service could muster did not siffice to see him through safely, Howard was buried in the Allied cemetery, Labanon Island, Borneo. His fellow soldiers acted as pall bearers and Chaplain Whitley of the Australian 9th Division performed the final rites. I was privileged to know Howard well and was proud to count him as my friend. His happy personality and ready wit endeared him to all. He was a splended soldier and upheld the finest traditions of the service. The entire company sympathizes with you on your great loss. I am well aware that there is little that I can say that will assuage your grief. This war has left its mark on nearly every home in the land. Your grief is our grief. Your loss is our loss. A debt of gratitude is owed to those who, like Howard, risked and died in the service of his country. It is a debt that cannot ever be repaid but it is the duty of all of us remaining to see that their sacrifice is not in vain.“
Aftermath
Cpl. Morris was originally buried at the Allied Cemetery at Borneo Island. However, his body was later returned to Scott County in 1949 for burial at Marcum Cemetery in Oneida, which is also where his parents were buried.
He is listed on the VFW Post 5669 Memorial Wall in Oneida, the Scott County Veterans Memorial in Huntsville, and the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial in Knoxville.