[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 7 (Tuesday, February 5, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E76-E77]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING MR. JOHN DANIEL MORGAN OF WAUCONDA, WASHINGTON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 5, 2002

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in paying its 
respects to the late Mr. John Daniel Morgan, a former resident of 
Colorado. Mr. Morgan was a member of what television journalist Tom 
Brokaw named ``the Greatest Generation,'' and serves as a source of 
pride for all generations. Today, we recognize and mourn the passing of 
this great man and to celebrate all he has contributed to this great 
nation.
  I wish at this time to enter into the Record a letter I received from 
his son. Mr. Morgan embodied the spirit of an upstanding and honorable 
American. He was both a veteran of the Second World War and the father 
of eight children. In his retirement, he worked to restore the pristine 
forests of his state. A devout Christian and family man, the success of 
all his children is a testament to the strong character of Mr. Morgan.
  America was built by men like him and it is truly an honor for me to 
recognize his accomplishments today before my esteemed colleagues. I 
wish to encourage all Americans to recognize the accomplishments of 
those who came before them, and to look to such role models as Mr. John 
Daniel Morgan. On behalf of the citizens of Colorado, I ask the House 
to join me in extending appreciation to Mr. John Daniel Morgan and his 
family.

     To: President George Bush and Members of the 107th Congress.
     From: Bill L. Morgan.
     Re the loss of a great American and father.

       My name is Bill Morgan and my father, John Daniel Morgan, 
     has recently been diagnosed with advanced acute leukemia. 
     This letter however, is not to inform you of his impending 
     death, but to tell you of the life he has lived and the 
     service he has provided this country. He has always been my 
     role model as an American and given me the pride I feel for 
     this great country.
       Dad was born May 30th, 1921 to William Lloyd and Mary Ellen 
     (O'Brien) Morgan in Victoria B.C., Canada. Both his parents 
     were of old Spokane, Washington families. After graduating 
     from Victoria High School, Dad moved to California where he 
     worked for Douglas Aircraft just prior to World War II and 
     attended both the Cumnock School and City College of Los 
     Angeles. In early 1942 he volunteered for the US Army at Fort 
     Bliss, TX. Shortly thereafter Dad was among the early 
     volunteers for the parachute troops, training at Fort 
     Benning, GA in the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion. He saw 
     service in the Caribbean Theater preparing for an assault 
     drop on enemy-held French Martinique. After returning to the 
     U.S., Dad was injured in a parachute training accident and 
     transferred to a Tank Destroyer Unit that saw action in 
     Germany during the final months of World War II. He was among 
     the U.S. troops liberating Dachau Concentration Camp in 
     southern Germany, and remained there until late 1945 as 
     rescue and rehabilitation efforts continued for the released 
     prisoners.
       Following his release from the Army in 1946, my Dad first 
     attended Gonzaga University in Spokane and then later 
     graduated from the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown 
     University, in Washington, D.C. in 1950. At Georgetown he 
     participated in the ROTC program and was commissioned in the 
     Air Force Reserve in 1949 at Lowry AFB, CO.
       Most of Dad's work and military career was in the field of 
     national intelligence, including the Central Intelligence 
     Agency, both in Washington, D.C. and the Far East. He also 
     served at the Army Missile Intelligence Command at 
     Huntsville, AL, and numerous Air Force assignments throughout 
     the US. In 1970 he entered the US Customs Service and worked 
     various posts in the Port of Seattle, including temporary 
     assignments at Nighthawk near Loomis, WA.
       It was during his assignments at Nighthawk that Dad 
     ``discovered'' the Okanogan region and began planning to 
     retire in this area. After his retirement from both his 
     military service and his Customs inspector position in 
     December, 1977, Dad moved to Wauconda, Washington, and built 
     a home on Mount Toroda. He established the Morning Song 
     Reforestation Project to demonstrate ecologically sound 
     practices to reclaim over-logged land and establish a 
     sustainable forest operation.
       Additionally, during his ``retirement'' years, Dad wrote 
     eleven books ranging from the definitive history of the 551st 
     Parachute Infantry Battalion to poetry and personal memoirs. 
     He created a series of videos of music and scenes for 
     meditation. He produced many original watercolors and stained 
     glass windows.
       Dad was a life-long member of the Catholic Church and a 
     Secular Franciscan for more than forty years. He was a past 
     officer of the 551st Parachute Infantry Association and a 
     member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Dad belonged for many 
     years to the Washington Society of the Sons of the American 
     Revolution, based on descent from Private Jonas Morgan of the 
     Virginia Continental Line.
       Of the eight children he and my mother raised, five have 
     served in the Armed Forces. Daniel, the oldest was in the Air 
     Force during the Vietnam War. Ric, the third oldest, retired 
     from the Navy as a Commander in 1999. During his 
     distinguished career in Naval Intelligence, Ric participated 
     in virtually all United States Navy campaigns since the Iran 
     Hostage Crisis. Ric now serves as the Veterans Affairs 
     Officer in Elbert County, CO, and is attending law school in 
     hopes of becoming a ``country lawyer'' upon his graduation. 
     Suzy, my oldest sister, served with the United States Army as 
     a nurse, and later transferred to the Air Force. She was well 
     known and respected for her knowledge and professional 
     capabilities at Fort Bragg and Fairchild AFB. Mary, the 
     youngest sister, once served as an enlisted computer 
     technician assigned to the 9th S.R.W. at Beale AFB, CA. Her 
     efforts helped insure that the reconnaissance missions of the 
     SR-7 Blackbird, U-2, and TR-1 aircraft were a success. She 
     left active duty long enough to get her nursing degree and 
     re-enlisted as an Air Force Officer. She now serves as an 
     emergency care nurse at Travis AFB, CA. As for myself, the 
     youngest of the bunch, I served with the 1st Special 
     Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, FL. As an Aircraft 
     Pneudraulics Technician, I helped maintain the AC-130H 
     Gunship, MC-130E Talon II, and MH-53-H helicopters now being 
     used in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. During my 
     tenure at the 1st S.O.W., I served in direct or support roles 
     for Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Just Cause, and Desert 
     Storm. I am currently enrolled in paralegal courses and on my 
     graduation hope to help my brother Ric in his legal practice.
       My other brother and sisters have become a computer 
     engineer, a licensed mid-wife and apple grower in Washington 
     State, and an owner of a book store respectively. As you can 
     see, my father did not raise underachievers. We have all 
     grown to serve our community and nation as we best saw fit.
       But working for the United States government and raising a 
     family was not enough for Dad. In 1976, he purchased 220 
     acres in north central Washington State. This land was 
     heavily logged and left to erode and fend for itself. Working 
     either by himself or with help from my brothers and sisters, 
     he cleaned up the slash piles left behind, thinned the 
     undergrowth that takes over in these kind of lumber 
     operations, and planted more trees. Today, the land that was 
     once an eyesore to all who saw it, is a beautiful, wooded 
     piece of land for our future generations to enjoy and 
     appreciate. The ``Morning Song Project'' now encompasses over 
     600 acres and has had a lasting, positive impact of the 
     population of Wauconda, WA.
       In the mid 1970's, Dad started contacting members of the 
     551st Parachute Infantry Battalion, which was his unit early 
     in WWII. This unit, all but annihilated during the Battle of 
     the Bulge, was disbanded after the battle and its surviving 
     members distributed among other units. Through my father's 
     efforts and other unit members he located, the veterans of 
     this unit were able to come together again a hold an annual 
     reunion. He, along with a few other members of the Battalion, 
     were able to restore and preserve the history of this heroic 
     fighting unit. Throughout their efforts there is a now 
     memorial at both Fort Bragg and Bastogne, France 
     commemorating the men of the 551st Airborne Infantry 
     Battalion, a unit otherwise lost to history. In October, 1999 
     the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion was awarded the 
     Presidential Unit Citation with Valor, for their 
     extraordinary courage during the most difficult phases of the 
     Battle of the Bulge, which wiped out their unit. My Dad was 
     the principal driving force behind this belated recognition 
     of American heroism on distant battlefields.
       I felt it important to let you, the Government of the 
     greatest nation on earth, know that in these trying times, 
     there are still people who cherish the freedoms that come 
     with being a United States citizen, and go above and beyond 
     to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy these 
     same freedoms. My Dad will be gone soon, but not too soon to 
     recognize the courage reflected in his life, and the great 
     heritage which he, and countless other great Americans of his 
     generation have preserved for us all, and for which we are 
     most deeply indebted. One of God's greatest blessings, to 
     this great nation is the patriotism and devotion to duty 
     characterizing his life, and the lives of millions of his 
     countrymen, that has wrought such remarkable benefits for 
     this great nation, and future generations across the globe.
           Most sincerely yours,
                                                   Bill L. Morgan.


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