Story By John Mann
There was a very special early birthday celebration at the Guntersville Veteran’s Affairs Clinic last Friday as the staff welcomed WWII veteran William Morrow who will be one hundred years old this Saturday.
“I thought it was fabulous,” Morrow’s daughter Pat McKee said. “I’m surprised that we had such a big turnout and I appreciate it very much, everyone who came out today. He’s a very hardworking, very honest person and I’ve never known him to cheat anybody out of anything. In fact he once owned somebody five dollars and he looked them up fifteen years later and tried to give it back to them.”
Morrow was born in 1925 in Blount county and grew up near the town of Oneonta. During his service with the United States Army from 1943 to 1945 with both the 44th and 61st Infantry Divisions he wore many different hats while fighting in the European war theater including ammunition bearer, machine gunner and communications wireman supporting frontline troops.
While serving in England in 1944 Morrow was wounded in the shoulder by shrapnel and had to undergo surgery, but even after being offered lighter duty opted to return to the front and rejoin his unit. Less than a year later he sustained further injury due to cold temperatures while in France which eventually led to his honorable discharge from the service in August of 1945.
“It means a lot to him that people recognize him,” McKee said. “Whenever we go to the VA clinic a lot of times there will be somebody come up and say I appreciate your service and it means a lot to him because he did go through an awful lot, he was on the front line two times it’s amazing he’s even alive.”
During his time in the service Morrow received multiple commendations in addition to the Purple Heart for being wounded in combat. He was given the French Liberation Medal for his role in liberating France, the European Theater Medal, a Sharpshooter Medal, a Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge for being involved in active ground combat.
Joined by his family and the VA staff and in front of multiple media outlets Morrow gave his advice for living a long life while joking that he “hopes the next one hundred won’t be this tough.”
“There have been very few if any disappointments,” Morrow said. “Try to be honest, pay your debts and do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. I have no enemies whatsoever, if you love everybody you’re going to be okay.”
