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James “Dud” Morris lived nearly a century, but never forgot the morning he hit the beach at Iwo Jima—and Elgin will never forget him.
“The Marines were catching hell on the beaches and the ships were fighting off kamikaze attacks,” he said in a recent interview, recalling the chaos and courage that marked his service during World War II.
On May 25, friends, family and fellow veterans gathered at the Cotton Country Club in Granger to honor Morris’ memory. The Elgin native and U.S. Navy veteran, who died March 29 at age 99, was remembered not only for his bravery in battle but for a lifetime of quiet patriotism, community service and unshakable resolve, attendees said.
Celebrated “in remembrance of Dud and those who gave all,” the Memorial Day weekend tribute included a flag presentation by American Legion Post 154—handing the colors over to Morris’ family—and commemorated his legacy as one of Bastrop County’s last World War II veterans.
Born in 1925, Morris grew up in Elgin, where his father, a former sharecropper, bought 122 acres of farmland for $750 in 1936. At 17, Morris enlisted in the Navy and trained as a coxswain, eventually operating a Higgins boat to transport troops and supplies. He deployed to the Pacific in 1944 and landed at Iwo Jima in the fifth wave of the invasion in February 1945.
Over 10 grueling days, Morris and his crew ferried Marines to shore, evacuated the wounded and braved relentless Japanese fire. He witnessed the iconic flag-raising on Mount Suribachi from half a mile offshore.
“The ships started blowing their fog horns, men were cheering. It was a happy deal, but it wasn’t over,” he once said. “We had 31 more days to go.”
Morris remained on Iwo Jima for 14 months, enduring typhoons and air raids, before returning to Texas. He was discharged in May 1946 and hitchhiked home.
Morris stayed active and upbeat in his later years, recognized during the local tribute with busy dance floors and a lively atmosphere—a fitting sendoff for a man who believed in service, strength and living fully every day, according to those who knew him best.
