George Stephen Morrison | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Steve |
Born |
Rome, Georgia, U.S. |
January 7, 1919
Died | November 17, 2008 Coronado, California, U.S. |
(aged 89)
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1938–1975 |
Rank | Rear Admiral |
Commands held | USS Bon Homme Richard |
Battles/wars |
George Stephen Morrison (January 7, 1919 – November 17, 2008) was a United States Navy rear admiral (upper half) and naval aviator. Morrison was commander of the U.S. naval forces in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Gulf of Tonkin Incident of August 1964, which sparked an escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War. He was the father of Jim Morrison, the lead singer of the rock band The Doors.
Born in Rome, Georgia, Morrison was the son of Caroline (née Hoover; 1891–1984) and Paul Raymund Morrison (1886–1971), and raised in Leesburg, Florida. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1938, graduated in 1941, and was commissioned an ensign. Sent to Hawaii, he joined the crew of the minelayer Pruitt (DM-22). On December 7, 1941, Morrison witnessed the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor.
He began flight training in 1943 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, and graduated in spring 1944. Morrison flew missions in the Pacific Theater for the duration of World War II.
He served as an instructor on nuclear weapons programs following the end of the war, while during the Korean War, he served at the joint operations center in Seoul. This resulted in the award of the Bronze Star with "V" for Valor device.