Warner Long Morse, Jr.

First Lieutenant Warner L. Morse, Jr., was a Marine pilot assigned to VMF-123.
He was killed in a training accident near Efate on 10 April 1943.

Branch

Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-13383

Current Status

Remains Not Recovered

Pursuit Category

The DPAA has not publicized this information.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

November 8, 1919
at Jamestown, NY

Parents

Warner Long Morse, Sr. (d. 1932)
Emma Marie (Lindbeck) Morse
later Mrs. Emma Godey

Education

Jamestown High School (1937)
College of Wooster (1941)

Occupation & Employer

College Student

Service Life

Entered Service

September 6, 1941 (enlisted)
August 26, 1942 (commissioned)

Home Of Record

62 Blanchard Street
Jamestown, NY

Next Of Kin

Mother, Mrs. Emma Godey

Military Specialty

Pilot
Assistant Communications Officer

Campaigns Served

Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal

Individual Decorations

—

Additional Service Details

—

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

Lieutenant Warner Morse was a Marine fighter pilot assigned to duty with VMF-123. The squadron arrived in the South Pacific in January 1943, and flew combat missions out of Henderson Field at the tail end of the Guadalcanal campaign. Morse participated in strikes in the Solomon Islands, and enjoyed a week-long recreation in Australia before rejoining the squadron at their home base on Efate.

On the morning of 10 April 1943, VMF-123 sent its pilots aloft for squadron strafing practice. At 1100 hours, Lieutenant Morse’s aircraft lost control at a high altitude and dived into the sea. The cause of his crash is not known; no remains could be recovered from the site.