"Starting in 1943, the U.S. Army Air Forces pioneered rescue tactics to save crews whose aircraft crashed in the Himalayas, like this C-46 Commando in September '45."
- David Sears, WW II Magazine.

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NewsOK
Rescue Missions Recalled
James Johnson Feb 11, '87

"Bronze Star medals, ordinarily awarded to combat soldiers, were presented at Tinker Air Force Base on Tuesday to a missionary and his two missionary sons for their contributions to the Allied victory in World War II.

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J. Russell Morse, 89, Eugene, 65, and Robert, 63, received the military decorations honoring them for their work in rescuing downed fliers who crashed while transporting supplies to China via the "Hump" of the Himalaya Mountains.

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In [1942/1943], Allied aircraft flew across Burma-China hump to supply Chinese forces against the invading Japanese. The Air Force lost 2,000 planes flying over the region of high mountains and deep valleys known as the "roof of the world."

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Although they were civilians, the Morses were official representatives of the Army Air Forces in 1943 when they were commissioned to organize the rescue network.

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Morses [served tribal] peoples in exotic region of upper Yangtze, Salween, Mekong and Irrawaddy rivers [Tibet/Burma border region].

Remaining at their post at the outbreak of World War II, the Morses were contacted by the U.S. Army in 1943 for help.

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Robert earlier had been recruited in Kunming by "The Flying Tigers," but [declined].

Morses' China experience made them logical people to turn to for humanitarian aid for transport fliers, the Army told the family.

'They said we were...answer to a prayer,' Russell [said].

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The Morses [1943] suggested that the air route over the "Hump" follow the trade route on the ground because assistance was most likely to come from the people living there.

Then the younger Morses walked back into the mountain wilderness to organize the network.

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...Eugene manned radio at Latsa, Burma,...Robert traveled Salween Valley investigating crash reports, locating & ID'ing crashed planes w/no survivors.

Robert cont'd after end of war till Oct. 1946 working w/Army graves registration service recovering remains of crash victims.

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The Morses organized [the] rescue [efforts] for airmen who were forced down at ["the hump"] in terrain peopled by bandits, [Naga] headhunters [and peaceful Lisu tribals] dwelling along the trade routes between India, [Myanmar and] China.

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'What made..."Hump" terrifying for fliers was they were flying in from India and had heard of headhunting Nagas,' Robert said. 'Some of our planes were lost in those areas and even though we knew the pilots bailed out, they never came out.'

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[Morses had a leading role in concept of stitching Chinese written characters into the bomber jackets. Robert, a skilled linguist, helped craft the wording of the Chinese dialogue (written on cards, or similar items), to be carried by allied aircrews].

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[Morse family's efforts resulted in safe rescue of at least one allied aircrew. Morses (mainly Robert) coordinated w/4, or more, tribal peoples, all of whom spoke different languages, to aid the allied flyers.].

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[US Army Gen. Stillwell
(4-star), Allied Commander, China-Burma-India (CBI), sent a letter of commendation to the Morse family, thanking them for facilitating recovery and transport of remains of many allied flyers who'd crashed in/near the Salween Valley.].

14/14:
[Per] US Air Force [regulations],
Bronze Star [was highest medal Morses, as] civilian [non-combatants], could be awarded."
Don't know who prompted US A.F. to, belatedly, recognize the Morse family's service to the Allied war effort, 1943-1946.
NewsOK Archive ID: 297048