William Pitt Morse (24 June 1889 – 20 December 1975) was a United States Army officer. During World War II, he commanded the 102nd Division during the Philippines campaign and then spent more than three years as a prisoner of war after being ordered to surrender in May 1942.

Early life and education

Morse was born in Brainerd, Minnesota and later moved to Montana. He graduated from the

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1928 and the Army War College in 1939.

Military career

Morse enlisted in the Montana National Guard in October 1908. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry in January 1912. Morse and his wife Margaret lived in Miles City, Montana. Promoted to captain, Morse was called to active federal service in August 1917. He was initially assigned to the 163rd Infantry, 41st Division. In December 1917, Morse was transferred to the 16th Infantry, 1st Division. Sent to France, he was transferred to the 26th Infantry in May 1918. Two weeks later, Morse was wounded at

Cantigny Cantigny is a park in Wheaton, Illinois, 30 miles west of Chicago. It is the former estate of Joseph Medill and his grandson Colonel Robert R. McCormick, publishers of the ''Chicago Tribune'', and is open to the public. Cantigny includes large ...

. He was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

and Purple Heart for his World War I service. Morse became a captain in the Regular Army infantry in October 1920. He was promoted to major in July 1931 and lieutenant colonel in November 1939. Sent to the Philippines in November 1941, Morse received a temporary promotion to colonel after the outbreak of hostilities with Japan in December. Assigned to the defense of the southern Philippines, he was given command of the 102nd Division. After surrendering to Japanese forces, Morse was interned with other senior U.S. Army officers on Formosa and in

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China, Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 afte ...

. He was awarded a second Silver Star Medal, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

and the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for his World War II service. After the war, Morse was assigned to ROTC instruction in southern California. His wartime promotion to colonel was made permanent in April 1947. He retired from active duty on 30 June 1949.

Later life

By the 1940s, his wife Margaret was living in the Los Angeles, California area, in Hollywood and North Hollywood. In 1975, Morse died in Los Angeles County at age 86.

References

1889 births 1975 deaths People from Brainerd, Minnesota Montana National Guard personnel People from Miles City, Montana United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army personnel of World War II American prisoners of war in World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army colonels People from Los Angeles County, California Military personnel from Montana {{US-army-bio-stub