Leslie Sullivan Morrison, also known as “Bud,” was drafted in January 1943 at the age of 19 to serve his country. He became a member of the supply unit attached to the 29th Infantry. He chuckles when he tells the story, “I made the mistake of shooting a Bazooka within 3 feet of the target” and next thing he knew he was assigned as a Bazooka Machine Operator as his military occupational specialty in the U.S. Army. He also qualified as a sharpshooter, Rank M1 MM 154. He reported to Fort Dix, N.J. and was shipped out to Europe.
Morrison landed in Liverpool, England, around June and July of 1943 and proceeded to travel to Ireland and Scotland where his unit met up with other Allied Forces. Soon they were convoying down the coast of Great Britain on the White Cliffs of Dover, on their way to the beaches of Normandy.
He landed on Omaha Beach. After the soldiers broke through following D-Day, his military career took him next to Belgium then finally to the Rhineland, Germany. He was in Leipzig, Germany, when V-E Day came, and the Germans surrendered.
He was discharged in November 1945, earning the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
Pictured is Leslie Morrison with his wife, Ruthanne Dikeman, on their wedding day in 1946.
Morrison, currently a Fredonia resident, returned to the States and went to work at Damon Motors, Dunkirk, for 10 years and then went on to work for the U.S. Postal Service for 30 years. He married his high school sweetheart, Ruthanne Dikeman, in August 1946 and had two children. Today, he has has four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
His family noted that “Bud will be celebrating his 100th birthday this year in June. He is an avid hockey fan, loves to watch his deer in the back yard and a good Manhattan!”
Memorial Day services take place at 10 a.m. in Memorial Park in Dunkirk. The parade, which travels on Lake Shore Drive from the park to Central Avenue, begins at 11 a.m.
Leslie Morrison during World War II.
