NO. 17536 • 26 July 1927 – 28 February 2020
Col. Morris J Herbert, U.S. Army (Ret.), USMA 1950, passed away on Friday, February 28, 2020. He was born on July 26, 1927 in Hollywood, California where he spent his formative years. Morris lived a fulfilling life of service to his country, 29 years of active duty followed by another three decades of civilian service to the United States Military Academy. His experiences were often shared through the engaging stories he would tell his friends and loved ones. After retiring from active duty in 1979 Morris resided in Highland Falls, NY so he could continue his devotion to West Point (USMA). He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Faith and his three children and six grandchildren who miss him greatly.
To Morris, family was all important. While alone on a hardship tour in Thule Greenland he would often write long and personal letters to his children with wonderful pictures and stories. Morris loved to welcome his children and their families to fun filled weekends at West Point filled with football memories and family get-togethers. His son, Morris, also graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1979.
Morris began his life of service as a Page to the House of Representatives during his high school years in Washington DC. He attended the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY and graduated in 1950 (1946-1950). Morris received a Master’s Degree from USC in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering in 1958.
2nd Lieutenant Herbert married the love of his life, Faith right after graduation. The Korean War had just begun and was an immediate baptism by fire. He went directly to Ft Lewis, Washington and then into combat. He arrived during the leadup to the critical “Pusan Perimeter” defense as a forward observer. Seriously wounded in action, he returned to the United States and received the Purple Heart.
During Morris’s 29 years of active duty, his most remarkable experiences were from his command assignments. He often spoke of his memorable assignment north of the Arctic Circle in Thule Greenland, where he was the senior Army Air Defense officer during a time that included the Cuban missile crisis. He arrived in the summer to see the snow falling and knew it was going to be a long and unique deployment. His next command was as a Hawk guided missile battalion commander in Fort Bliss, Texas from 1968-1970. Later he commanded a Nike Hercules surface-to-air missile group at Selfridge ANGB from 1972 to 1973.
While most military careers are focused on commands, Morris’s career included development and testing for some of the Army’s first guided missile systems. At West Point, he taught ballistics and ordinance subjects (1963-1968) and wrote an article for Encyclopedia Britannica relating to ballistic missile systems. He attended the US Army War College at Carlisle Barracks in 1972, and in 1974 served on the faculty and held the Elihu Root chair of Strategy and Tactics.
Morris’s decorations included the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean War Service medal and the Purple Heart, among others.
The phrase "Every cadet an athlete" is taken seriously by all at West Point, but perhaps no one embodied this spirit more than Morris. He played baseball as a cadet, but it was his off-the-field endeavors that were most notable. Morris’s lifelong love for Army sports began while listening to Army football games as a boy with his father. As a cadet he was a Sports Editor for the cadet magazine, the Pointer. His sports knowledge as a cadet made him an asset to the broadcasters of Army games where he volunteered as a spotter. It was not lost on Morris that a side benefit was getting out of parade duty.
Throughout his military and civilian career he was widely recognized as an expert on the history of Army Sports; often interviewed by the news media. As a long-time historian with the Academy's Association of Graduates, Morris was instrumental in the creation of both the Army Sports Hall of Fame and the Kenna Hall of Army Sports. In 2006 he was the first person to be honored with the Office of the Dept. of Athletics Distinguished Service Award (ODIA) presented to an individual for significant contributions to Army's intercollegiate athletic program. He served as the only permanent member of the ODIA committee that would nominate athletes to the Army Sports Hall of Fame.
In retirement, he created and wrote a “Herbert on Sports” newsletter. It gained popularity with a broad readership for its evenhanded coverage of Army sports.
One of Morris’s most treasured sports positions was serving as the Officer Representative to the West Point varsity Soccer Team from 1964 to 1966. As Officer “Rep” he assisted coaches and players with any issues and traveled with the team. During that period, the team traveled to the NCAA soccer finals twice (1965 and 1966) and finished 3rd in the US each time. Morris especially enjoyed mentoring the players on the team, many of whom became lifelong friends. The coach at this time was Joe Palone, an army coaching legend who kept in touch with him during his entire life.
During his post-army career, Morris administered and expanded the AOG West Point Preparatory Scholarship program. He took a personal interest in assisting and championing women and minority West Point candidates. The achievements of these cadets are a living legacy to his dedication to public service.