lest we forget

MORRIS, DONALD DURWOOD

Rank / Branch:

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, U.S. ARMY

Date Of Birth:

1947-12-10

Country Of Loss:

SOUTH VIETNAM

Status:

NON HOSTILE, ACCIDENTAL SELF DESTRUCTION

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:

GROUND

Other:

NOT MARRIED

Unit:

FIRST CAVALRY DIVISION

Date Of Loss:

1967-06-19

Loss Coordinates:

BINH THAUN

Catagory:

BODY RETURNED

Awards & Decorations:

SEE BIO

VETERAN HAGI0GRAPHY

MORRIS, DONALD DURWOOD, PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, U.S. ARMY, ODESSA, ECTOR, TEXAS

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

COMBAT INFANTRYMAN'S BADGE, PURPLE HEART, ARMY COMMENDATIONS MEDAL, NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM CROSS OF GALLANTRY WITH PALM, VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL

BIOGRAPHY

Donnie was born in Odessa to Edna Joyce Marsh and James "Buck" Pierce Morris. Donnie had an older sister, Barbara and a younger sister, Sandra. He attended Odessa schools and last attended Permian High School. He is an honorary member of the Class of 1966. His parents divorced and he lived with his grandmother in Plains, Texas finishing high school there. His father was living in Levelland and his mother was living in Houston.
He enlisted in the Army in the summer of 1966 from Houston, Texas. He completed his basic and infantry AIT training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He departed for Vietnam on February 3, 1967, and was assigned as an infantryman with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry (Garry Owen), 1st Cavalry Division. He was killed by a faulty grenade on June 19, 1967, while in the field. The pin had worked its way out of the grenade that Donnie was carrying on his web harness. The grenade armed itself and Donnie attempted to defuse the grenade when it exploded, killing Donnie and injuring two other men who were close by. He was 19 years old at the time of his death.
He was buried with full military honors in a family plot in Plains, Yoakum County, Texas. His father passed away June 5, 2004, and rests next to him. His paternal grandmother indicated that Donnie had told her before departing for Vietnam that he would not come back alive and that he wanted to be buried in Plains, next to his uncle and that he wanted a granite headstone like his uncle. When the funeral services were being planned by his mother, she ordered a flat bronze headstone from the Army. When the headstone arrived and was set, his paternal grandmother wanted to honor Donnie's request. She enlisted the aid of the Yoakum County V.A. representative, and a replacement granite headstone was ordered and paid for by the grandmother. In the paperwork, it indicated that the original headstone was to be returned for destruction upon receipt of the new headstone. In the paperwork in Donnie's mortuary files, it shows that the original headstone had been returned and was destroyed in accordance with Department of the Defense regulations. It appears that this was not done, the original headstone was removed and placed at the foot of his grave and was covered with gravel. Over the course of time, the gravel was displaced, and a part of the headstone was visible. After the remainder of the gravel was swept away, the original headstone is now visible.