W.S. Usmc

Major William S. Morgan, Jr., USMC (Ret,), 78, elder son of the late Mr. and Mrs. W.S. Morgan, Sr., of Elizabethtown, died on August 11.



He retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1974 after serving over 20 years. As a naval aviator, he served two tours in Vietnam - his first tour from 1965 to 1966 as a helicopter pilot and his second tour from 1968 to 1969 as a fighter pilot.



He flew approximately 300 combat missions, receiving: 20 Air Medals, including an Air Medal with a Gold Star/Flight Numeral 18; Navy Commendation Medal; National Defense Service Medal with one star; Vietnam Service Medal with seven stars; Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star; and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.



He also received a letter of appreciation from the Senior Advisor, 2nd Infantry Regiment, endorsed by the Senior Advisor, 1st Infantry Division and Commanding Officer, HMM-163 for outstanding support on a combat mission he flew as a helicopter pilot on May 1966 at Gio Linh and Con Thien. In fact, he wrote and published a poem on Gio Linh and Con Thien in 1993, memoralizing the Marines who fought there 27 years earlier.



After retiring from the Marine Corps, he was employed by the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina for over 15 years. He retired from the State of North Carolina in 1977.



Born in Spartanburg, S.C., on April 18, 1932, he graduated from The Citadel in 1954 with an AB degree. He later received his MEd degree from North Carolina State University.



Maj. Morgan is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jean Yandle; two sons, William Stuart III, and David Collins; and a daughter, Kim.



Stuart and his wife, Kim, of Columbia, S.C., have two sons, William Stuart IV, Caroline and Walker. David and his wife, Suzy, of Wake Forest, have two daughters, Allison and Liz. Kim and her husband, David Pridgen, have a son, Collins, and a daughter, Morgan.



Maj. Morgan is also survived by a brother, John Elford of Charlotte and two sisters, Maria Elmore of Charlotte, and Nancy Brown of Fort Myers, Florida.



Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 PM Friday, August 13, at Bladen Gaskins Funeral Home in Elizabethtown.



A service, honoring Maj. Morgan's life, will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, August 14, at Elizabethtown Baptist Church with Dr. Earl Farthing and The Rev. Chris Carroll officiating. Burial, with full military honors, will follow at Arlington National Cemetery at 9:00 AM, September 28.



In lieu of flowers, the Morgan family requests that memorials be made to the Christian Activity Center at Elizabethtown Baptist Church, 1800 West Broad St., Elizabethtown, NC 28337.