ORWIGSBURG, PA — Treasurer Stacy Garrity honored the legacy of Private First Class Joseph William Morrison by returning a World War I Gold Star Mothers and Widows Pilgrimage Medal to his family during a ceremony at the Orwigsburg Free Public Library. Morrison, a Schuylkill County native who served with the 554th Army Ambulance Service, was killed in action on November 1, 1918, just ten days before the end of the war.
The medal, considered unclaimed property, had been stored in a safe deposit box owned by the late Agnes Morrison, granddaughter of Joseph’s mother, Agnes Kissick Morrison, to whom the medal was originally awarded. Christine Morrison, a great-niece of PFC Morrison, traveled from Brooklyn, New York, to accept the medal on behalf of the family.
“I’m so honored to be returning this medal to Joseph Morrison’s family on behalf of a grateful Commonwealth,” said Treasurer Garrity. “It is so important we remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives serving our country, as PFC Morrison did when he died representing the Allies in France.”
The WWI Gold Star medal was part of a special program from 1930 to 1933, during which the U.S. government sponsored pilgrimages for mothers and widows to visit the graves of their loved ones in France. Agnes K. Morrison participated in this pilgrimage in 1933.
Speakers at the ceremony included Claudia Gross, Library Director; Jeff Stonesifer, Pastor at Congregational Free Church of Christ; Dave Moore, Commander of VFW Post 2198; and Christine Morrison, who shared the family’s gratitude. “The return of the medal to our family is a very momentous occasion,” Morrison said. “It reminds us of the sacrifice made by him and others – and their families – in defense of humanity.”
Since taking office, Treasurer Garrity has returned 477 military decorations, including 11 Purple Hearts and three Bronze Stars. Nearly 480 decorations remain unclaimed in Pennsylvania Treasury’s vault, awaiting their rightful owners.
PFC Morrison’s sacrifice has continued to inspire his community. He was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre, and VFW Post 2198 in Orwigsburg proudly bears his name.
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