John A. Morrison, Sergeant, U.S. Army, Korean War From Korea to the White House Motor Pool – Part 1.

John Morrison is a blind and 92-year-old Korean War veteran. He is still able to remember the bleakness on his time on the Korean battlefield. He also has positive memories from his final days in the White House where he chauffeured two families of presidents.

Morrison was able to make it through his time in the Korean War, despite being admitted to hospital several times, once due to malaria, a third time suffering from severe frostbite due to the frigid temperatures of minus 30 degrees and another time after the soldier was seriously injured by an North Korean grenade.

John Angulish Morrison was born on July 26, 1930 at Florala, Covington County, Alabama. Morrison’s parents were Reffie Garrett and John Grider Morrison. John Morrison was the youngest of his six siblings.

John was a student at Florala Elementary School. He later moved onto Lockhart Junior High School. When he was in the ninth grade, he resigned from the school and began working at Opp-Micolas Mills in order to assist his family. John was suffering from severe sinus issues and was forced to leave the mill after just a few years. John went to visit his Uncle who lived in Lakeland, Florida, hoping to find a job in the industry of citrus. In the end, unable to find an employment there, John enlisted in the Army. Lakeland, John enlisted in the Army in September 1949 when he was 19 years old.

Morrison’s training in the basics ended in the month of December, 1949 during his time at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Following his training, he was assigned into Fort Benning, Georgia, to receive training in field artillery. The 2nd of July, 1950 Morrison returned home for leave to marry Vivianne Scheffer. They would have four children.

On the 8th of July of 1950 John Morrison deployed to Korea and was assigned to Company H the 8069th Battalion Replacement located in Pusan. After a few weeks the battalion was moved north towards the battle-front close to the city of Kunwi (north in the municipality of Taegu where there was many battlesin the past. John sent a note home saying the following day that “his foot was truly damaged.”On the march it was he who carried an .30 caliber water-cooled machine gun, which was 38 pounds. once filled up with water. Then, in the month of September noted that he had been admitted to hospital for a week due to malaria. He was transferred to a medical facility and treated for malaria in January of 1951.

In the course of fighting close to Taegu in the late November of 1950 Morrison was severely frostbite on his feet and hands. He was rushed to the hospital in Osaka, Japan, where the patient got treated over three quarter weeks and then returned for treatment to 39th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.

The fighting was fought close to the city of Taegu, Morrison was wounded by a grenade on the morning of January 3rd in 1951. The shrapnel of the grenade hit him in the mouth leaving several teeth exposed in the right hand, the right knee and in several areas of the head. John is still carrying shrapnel in his head. He was examined in an MASH (Military Army Surgical HospitalUnit. Unit. He was then flown for treatment at Tokyo’s 14141 St. General Hospitalin Tokyo.

John was recuperating for a few months and underwent medical treatment at Japan. Although he wasn’t fully recovered, he was sent back to frontlines near Taegu where was fighting for another six months. He was able to return to Pusan towards the close the month of April in 1951. John was promoted to PFC the next day in Pusan as well as was assigned guard duty. He reported to home that he taken home ” his new teeth.”John and his group were returned to the States in July 1951.

After a brief absence, John was assigned to the 3rd Chemical Mortar Batteryat Fort Bragg, North Carolina. John spent the next two and one half years there, before being transferred for the army’s Dugway Proving Groundsat Dugway, Utah. Dugway was the primary chemical weapons test facility that was used by the Army. John worked for his General Company Headquarters, 2nd Chemical Battalionas Sergeant of the Motor Pool. John supervised 15 drivers within his company.

The company of John was in charge the transportation of all the materials used at Dugway. The drivers were wearing gas masks throughout the day. The majority part of their work has been is still classified. But, John frequently participated in drills using smoke, which tested what the effect of gasoline on mice. John spent 18 months in Dugway before being transferred in Fort Riley, Kansas, as the Transportation Sergeant.

When he was at Fort Riley, Morrison was transferred for Camp Perry, Ohio, for a month as an instructor for The National Pistol and Rifle Championships. After Fort Riley, he was taken into Camp Eschborn near Frankfurt, Germany in which he was employed as the Transport Sergeant and supervising around forty German civil drivers.

After a period of three years in Frankfurt, Morrison was assigned to Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Alabama. Morrison served as the Transport Sergeant of Redstone Army. Army of Redstone. In addition to being accountable for the driver’s in his division, John was the chauffer for one of the generals in Redstone. He was in Redstone during two consecutive years.

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The article John A. Morrison Sergeant U.S. Army, Korean War From Korea to the White House Motor Pool – Part 1. was first published at The Andalusia Star-News.