Skip to content

Marvin Douglas Morris

Corporal Marvin D. Morris served with Mike Company, Third Battalion, 4th Marines.
He was captured at Corregidor and died while a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan, Philippine Islands, on 27 July 1942.

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Branch

Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 279934

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Current Status

Remains not recovered.

Pursuit Category

This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

August 22, 1918
at Carnegie, OK

Parents

Burrell Douglas Morris
Minnie O. (Williams) Morris (d. 1924)

Education

Hamlin High School

Occupation & Employer

Details unknown

Service Life

Entered Service

January 4, 1940
at Dallas, TX

Home Of Record

Hamlin, TX

Next Of Kin

Father, Mr. Burrell Morris

Military Specialty

Primary Unit

M/3/4th Marines

Campaigns Served

Philippine Islands / Corregidor

Individual Decorations
Additional Service Details

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

Marvin Morris was stationed at Cavite, Philippine Islands, when the United States entered World War II. His unit was re-designated as the Third Battalion, 4th Marines, and Morris served with Mike Company in the defense of the Philippines and the siege of Corregidor. He was promoted to the rank of corporal in April 1942.

Morris was captured in the fall of Corregidor on 6 May 1942, and held as a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan Camp #1, Nueva Ecija province. Unsanitary living conditions, harsh treatment by guards, and a starvation diet took a rapid toll on the prisoners of war; Morris suffered from a lethal combination of malaria and dysentery. Finally, he was carried to “Zero Ward” – a building for hopeless patients – and died on the afternoon of 27 July 1942.

The ledger of patients at the Cabanatuan hospital recorded Corporal Morris' demise. Philippine Archives Collection.
Burial Information or Disposition

Marvin Morris was buried in a mass grave in Cabanatuan’s prison cemetery – but unfortunately, the exact location was not recorded at the time.

Graves Registration personnel working in Manila after the war were unable to identify any remains as belonging to Corporal Morris. There is a high likelihood that he is buried in the Manila American Cemetery as an unknown.

Note: Burrell Morris was informed that Marvin died on 31 October 1942: this was a wartime decision made “for administrative purposes.” Prisoner records from Cabanatuan give the corrected date as 27 July 1942.

Next Of Kin Address

Address of father, Mr. Burrell Morris.

Location Of Loss

Corporal Morris died at Cabanatuan Camp #1.

Related Profiles

Members of the 4th Marines non-recovered from Cabanatuan Camp #1.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *