MORRILL, DAVID WHITTIER
Name: David Whittier Morrill
Branch/Rank: United States Marine Corps/O4
Unit: MABS 13 MAG 13
Date of Birth: 03 November 1930
Home City of Record: SAN CARLOS CA
Date of Loss: 18 March 1967
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 162336 North 1072357 East
Status (in 1973): Killed In Action/Body Not Recovered
Category: 5
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:F4B
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident: Maxim C. Parker
Refno:
Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action
Combat Casualty File. Updated with information provided by David Morrill,
son of LtCol David Whittier Morrill.
REMARKS:
CACCF/CRASH/PILOT/14 YRS UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS/QUANG TRI
POSTHUMOUS PROMOTION
Synopsis:
Lieutenant Colonel David Whittier Morrill, USMC. - San Carlos, California
Major Morrill was the pilot of one of two Marine Corps F4B Phantoms of
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA314, which left Chu Lai, South Vietnam on
a close air support mission of Marine Corps ground troops in Quang Tri
Province, South Vietnam. Major Morrill's aircraft was observed to pull off
target on the fourth pass and then contact was lost. The pilot of the lead
aircraft observed a ground explosion about one and one half miles from the
target. No parachutes were seen. Major Morrill and his Radar Int ercept
Officer Lieutenant Maxim C. Parker were listed as missing in action.
In August of 1967, the wreckage of Major Morrill's aircraft was located by
Marine Corps engineers building a road in the are of Dong Ha village. The
aircraft was identified by tail and bureau numbers. A search of the crash
found Lt. Parker's dog tags and two sets of human remains, which were later
identified as Marine ground troops killed in the battle. Major Morrill and
Lieutenant Parker's status was changed to killed in action/body not
recovered. Major Morrill was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and
awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart.
In 1993, the site was excavated by a joint Vietnamese/American task force.
Major Morrill's wedding ring and human remains were recovered at the site.
Major Morrill's wedding ring was subsequently identified and returned to his
family. No identification of the remains has been made.
Lieutenant Colonel Morrill was a 1952 graduate of Ole Miss. He attended the
Naval Post Graduate School and obtained a Masters Degree in Aeronautical
Engineering from Princeton University. He was a test pilot and was selected
from, three thousand initial candidates, as one of the final thirty
candidates for the Apollo Astronaut Program.
Brother: Lt. Col. Merwin L. Morrill, USAF. San Carlos, CA. (KIA 08-21-67,
NVN)
Wife: Alice Morrill Roehl
Sons: David L. Morrill
Richard H. Morrill
Daughter: Mary Morrill Lewis
________________________________________________________________________
Lieutenant Colonel Merwin "Mel" Lamphrey Morrill, USAF -- San Carlos,
California.
On 8-21-67, Captain Morrill was the pilot of one of four Air Force F105s,
which left Tekhli Royal Thai Base to strike the Yen Vien rail yard six miles
northeast of Hanoi. During the strike, the F105s of Captain Morrill and his
wing man Captain Lynn Kesler Powell were seen to explode, when struck by
anti aircraft fire. No parachutes were seen; however, two emergency
electronic signals were heard. Captain Morrill and Captain Powell were
listed as missing in action.
During the time he was missing in action, Captain Morrill was promoted along
with his class to Major and then Lieutenant Colonel. In April of 1978,
Captain Morrill's status was changed to killed in action/body not recovered.
In 1985, his remains were returned by the government of Vietnam.
Lieutenant Colonel Morrill was a member of the United States Military
Academy at West Point Class of 1958 and he is buried there. He was
Posthumously awarded the Silver Star, Air Medal (First and Second Oak Leaf
Clusters) and the Purple Heart.
Brother: LT. Col. David W. Morrill, USMC. San Carlos, CA. (KIA 06-18-67,SVN)
Wife: Constance Roy Morrill (Deceased 1985)
Son: Todd Morrill
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