George Stephen Morrison
George Stephen Morrison | |
---|---|
Rear Admiral | |
Commands held | Naval Forces Marianas USS Bon Homme Richard |
Battles/wars | World War II
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Awards | Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal |
Spouse(s) |
Clara Virginia Clarke
(m. 1942; died 2005) |
Children | 3, including Jim |
George Stephen Morrison (January 7, 1919 – November 17, 2008) was a
Early life and education
Born January 7, 1919, in
Morrison entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1938, graduated in 1941, and was commissioned an ensign. Sent to Hawaii, he joined the crew of the destroyer USS Pruitt.[5] On December 7, 1941, Morrison witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.[6]
Career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Bonhommerichard.jpg/200px-Bonhommerichard.jpg)
Morrison began flight training in 1943 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, and graduated in spring 1944, and went on to fly combat missions in the Grumman F6F Hellcat.[7] He flew missions in the Pacific Theater for the duration of World War II.[5] He served as an instructor on nuclear weapons programs following the end of the war, while during the Korean War, he served at the joint operations center in Seoul. This resulted in the award of the Bronze Star Medal with "V" for Valor device.[6]
In November 1963, Morrison took command of the
In 1967, Morrison was promoted to
Morrison was the keynote speaker at the decommissioning ceremony for the carrier Bon Homme Richard, his first ship as an admiral, on July 2, 1971, in
Morrison retired from the Navy in August 1975 as a
Personal life and retirement
Morrison met and married Clara Virginia Clarke (1919–2005) in Hawaii in 1942. Their son Jim Morrison (lead singer of rock band The Doors) was born in 1943 in Melbourne, Florida, where they lived at the time while stationed at Naval Air Station Melbourne.[5] A daughter, Anne Robin Morrison, was born in 1947 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and became a school teacher in Thousand Oaks, California,[16] and a son, Andrew Lee Morrison, was born in 1948 in Los Altos, California, and lives in Ashburn, Virginia.[15][17]
In retirement, the Morrisons lived in
Awards and decorations
Morrison was a recipient of the following military decorations and service medals:
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Badge | Naval Aviator insignia
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1st Row | Navy Distinguished Service Medal | star
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Bronze Star Medal with "V" device | |||||||||||
2nd Row | Air Medal with two stars | Presidential Unit Citation | American Defense Service Medal | |||||||||||
3rd Row | American Campaign Medal | stars
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European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
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4th Row | World War II Victory Medal | National Defense Service Medal with one star | Korean Service Medal | |||||||||||
5th Row | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Korea Presidential Unit Citation
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United Nations Service Medal
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References
- San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the originalon August 25, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ISBN 1-59240-064-7.
- ^ Aitken, Mark (September 3, 2017). "Doors legend Jim Morrison's Scottish heritage uncovered as former brother-in-law reveals rock star's striking resemblance to great-great-grandad". Daily Record. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
The admiral said the family was originally from the Outer Hebrides. He also said he was a direct descendant of Robert the Bruce in an almost jokingly way – but there are some Bruces in the family tree. However, I don't think they did research.
- ^ IrishCentral Staff (January 31, 2023). "The Irish roots of The Doors Jim Morrison and how they influenced him". IrishCentral. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
The legendary lead singer of the American rock band The Doors, Jim Morrison had Irish ancestry on his father's side. George Stephen Morrison, Jim's father, was a US naval officer who traced his roots back to County Cork.
- ^ a b c Livepress encyclopedia[dead link] retrieved April 8, 2008
- ^ a b c Grimes, William (December 8, 2008). "George S. Morrison, Admiral and Singer's Father, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ^ Setlowe, Rick. "The Admiral and the Poet". USS Midway Veterans Association. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ "Tonkin Gulf Crisis, August 1964". Naval Historical Center. Department Of The Navy. Archived from the original on December 28, 2002. Deck Log Book, USS Bon Homme Richard, November 1963, January 1964, March 1964, and August 1964, US National Archives.
- ^ "Rear Admiral George S. Morrison, ComNavMarianas. October 1, 1972 (Photographs)". libweb.hawaii.edu. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ^ a b "Rear-Admiral George Morrison: father of Jim Morrison". The New York Times. December 11, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ^ "Guam, Washington need each other". Milwaukee Journal. May 1, 1975. p. 1. Archived from the original (Press Dispatches) on December 10, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "Viet art to go back to owner". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. May 29, 1975. p. 27.
- ^ "New camp to get Guam Vietnamese". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. May 27, 1975. p. 15.
- ^ Prina, L. Edgar (June 9, 1975). "Morrison undaunted by refugee operation". Daily News. Kingsport, Tennessee. Copley News Service. p. 4.
- ^ a b Carroll, Ward (March 14, 2016). "Jim Morrison's dad had a hand in starting the Vietnam War". Business Insider.
keynote speaker at the decommissioning ceremony for Bon Homme Richard in Washington D.C. the same day his son Jim, the rock icon, died
- ^ "All in the Family: A brother-in-law remembers Jim". American Legends.
- ^ "Jim Morrison". The Biography Channel. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Coronado Clarion – Remembering: Admiral George Stephen Morrison
- Together We Served – MORRISON, George Stephen, RADM
- Navy Deck Logs – Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog