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Col. Morgan passed away on March 27, 2024. He was predeceased by his wife Ann after 65 years of marriage.
He is survived by two sons, Jonathan and James Allen and a daughter, Karen Colburn. There are also three grandchildren, Sean Morgan, Katherine Colburn and Kevin Colburn.
Born June 14, 1931 in Pine Hill, Ala., he was the eldest of six children of Ivan and Vela Morgan. He graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Ala. in 1949 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps shortly thereafter. In 1950 he was selected for the NROTC program at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn), where in 1954 he received a BS in business administration and a commission as a Second Lieutenant. He earned his wings as a naval aviator in 1956, followed by a distinguished career in Marine Corps aviation, culminating in his designation as the commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group-14, at that time the largest in the Corps. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for combat service during the Vietnam War and the Defense Superior Service Medal for service on the staff of the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic.
In 1981 Col. Morgan and his wife Ann, who was born Ann M. Grittner in Montgomery, Pa, retired to their home in Merritt Island, Fla, where they resided for the rest of their lives. They are interred in the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, Mims, Fla.