World War II, W.T. Morris

Wilbert T. Morris, of Knob Noster, left his mark on countries he visited while in the military.

Morris, one of 10 children, decided to do something crazy when he was 16. He took off with four friends in the middle of the night. They were on a mission to serve this country and walked 12 miles to the Army recruiting office in Monroe, La. The walk was long and chilly. The men took turns laying on the highway to keep warm, because the concrete was hot. His parents didn’t find out until he was in basic training.

“I think my sisters and brothers were glad to see me gone — more food for them,” Morris said. Meanwhile, his mother cried all night long.

He was stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., where he learned how to drive a Sherman tank. After basic, he was sent to Japan, where he drove a two and a half-ton truck. He helped transfer supplies from the shipping dock to the base.
He served in Army for 18 months, before returning home and going back to school. He was a civilian for seven years, before he decided that life wasn’t working for him.

CHOOSING THE AIR FORCE
He chose to return to the military, but this time he decided to enlist in the Air Force. He thought it was safer, because most of the Air Force stayed away from the front lines.

He did his training in Texas and started out as an auto body repairman. He was earmarked to go to Iceland, but when he got to North Carolina, his orders changed. He was sent to Bermuda, where he served four years.
When that tour was up, he re-enlisted. He was stationed at a variety of places including the Philippines, Vietnam, Florida, Louisiana and Thailand.

“When there was no fighting going on, it was almost like being on vacation. You get a chance to see a lot of things even though you did have to be very careful that you didn’t get into areas where there was a danger of being destroyed or shot at,” he said.

A MAN OF FAITH
He was sent to the Philippines, where he served for 19 months. One of the things he noticed was no church of his denomination, Pentecostal Church of God in Christ, existed. Morris met a man who invited him to his church of the Assembly of God faith. Morris started attending regularly.

The two men worked so well together, they decided to create a radio program that aired every Sunday morning. When it came time for Morris to leave, he went to church for the last time. Five thousand of his listeners came to bid him farewell.

“It’s one of those things that makes tears come to your eyes. You hate to leave that many people that are interested in what you have to say,” he said.

THE GIFT OF FARMING
He later got the call to serve in Vietnam on temporary duty. The Air Force served more as support, unlike the Marines and Army, who served in the combat areas. Fighting was going on at all times. The United States was supported by air power coming from Tan Son Nhut Air Base.

One day the North Vietnamese decided to bomb the capitol of South Vietnam. They were trying to kill the president, but he wasn’t there.

The bombing got pretty close to where Morris was stationed. The Air Force sent orders to issue weapons to the men.

“The only problem is if they had been invading our area, we all would have got destroyed because it took them eight hours to issue weapons to us to defend ourselves. By the time we all got our weapons, everything was clear,” Morris said.

While in Vietnam, Morris decided to help the locals. He grew up on a farm and knew a lot of farming tricks. He had some seeds with him.

“In Vietnam, I was able to share with some of the people there the ways on how to grow different vegetables. Because they seemed like they were more rice-orientated, I tried to encourage them to add something to that. They were receptive to it and did an excellent job. They were growing gardens when I left there and doing real good,” he said.

After he returned to the States, he was stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base. He later retired and went into the ministry.

“I don’t think I would have done quite as well had I not have gone in the military ... simply because the military offers you an opportunity to really discipline yourself,” he said. “I am thankful I was able to serve in a capacity to secure the peace that we currently enjoy.”