About
World War II (1939-1945)
Morris Righthand was born in Albany, New York, on March 8, 1916. By 1920, he was living in Schenectady, New York. Morris relocated to Gloversville, New York, in 1925; Brooklyn, New York, in 1928; the Bronx, New York, in 1930; and back to Schenectady, New York, before 1932. Morris graduated from Mont Pleasant High School in 1932 and Union College in 1936, while he was living in Schenectady, New York. In 1940, he was living in Baltimore, Maryland, and then moved to Pennsylvania prior to enlisting in the war. He worked as a watchmaker.
On January 16, 1943, Morris enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. He completed his basic training at San Antonio Cadet Center, Texas, and then attended a bombardier and navigating school in Texas. He was a second lieutenant serving with the 421st Base Unit. On May 5, 1944, Morris died when his B-24 failed to make a turn shortly after takeoff, only six miles distant (other versions of the story say there was a fuel problem), forcing the bomber to crash onto Puu Nau ridge near Aiea in Hawaii. The entire crew died on this flight. He is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Hawaii.
*B-24J (#44-40332)
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry