Folk Is August Vet Of The Month
August 3, 2021 at 11:55 p.m.
Folk Is August Vet Of The Month
By David [email protected]
County Veteran Affairs Officer Rich Maron presented Folk to the County Commissioners at their meeting Tuesday and read Folk’s biography that he had prepared.
Morris was born Nov. 7, 1950, to Wilfred and Martha Folk. The youngest of four children, he spent his childhood in the Claypool area, where he also attended school. He moved to Warsaw schools in the 10th grade, graduating from Warsaw High School.
In November 1969, Folk was drafted and sent to Indianapolis for his physical. In January 1970, he received orders to report to Fort Knox, Ky., for basic training. From there, he was sent to Fort Eustis, Va., for advanced infantry training. After completing that training, he received orders for Qui Nhon, Vietnam. He was given a 30-day leave before heading to Vietnam.
After being there for 2-1/2 months, Folk was shipped home on a Red Cross emergency leave. Folk’s father, Wilfred, was going in for surgery. A farmer, it was harvest time and time to pick corn.
Folk applied to be attached to Fort Harrison on the north side of Indianapolis, but after 30 days, he received orders they were sending him back to Vietnam just before Christmas.
After his arrival, Folk worked in transportation and was assigned to the motorpool where he drove a water truck, taxi cab, bus, wrecker and did “all kinds of mechanical work,” Maron said.
While Folk was there, the camp came under mortar attack and one of the mortars blew up just a few feet away from him.
Maron said, “He stated by the grace of God, it was like a big hand shoved him down behind some sandbags, and he heard the schrapnel fly by him, but was never hit. Three other mortars lodged in the building’s eve behind them, but never exploded. Morris said, ‘I guess it just wasn’t my time.’”
Later in his tour, the Viet Cong blew up the ammo dump. It was on the outside of town, a few miles away. There was a big explosion that blew his TV off of his foot locker, and many more explosions followed.
Folk was granted some rest and relaxation and he went to Sydney, Australia. When he was returning back to his unit, Folk ran into Dave Cox, of Warsaw, who was ahead of him in school. Cox was on his way home.
Folk remembers driving a load of soldiers to go see Bob Hope. He didn’t go because there were so many soliders going.
While in Vietnam, Folk’s mother, Martha, wrote President Richard Nixon, asking why her son was not allowed to carry a gun or rifle while in Vietnam. Folk was called down to headquarters about that.
He spent 16 months in Vietnam before returning home. He was promoted to the rank of specialist 4 and given an early out because the Army was starting to scale back.
Maron said, “His return home was a tough and difficult time. He recalled people yelled, spit and heckled him, a lot of Vietnam soldiers. He was really disappointed at our country, but is happy that things have changed and finally feels very appreciated for his service.”
Folk returned home in February 1972, but he never told anyone he was coming. His girlfriend at the time, Cathleen Boyer, who later became his wife, didn’t know. Folk made her promise to finish college before he told her he was a civilian again.
Folk and Boyer were married Oct. 14, 1973, and have been married for 47 years. They have two sons, Jeremy and Clayton. They have two grandsons, Edward, 9, and Lawrence, 6.
Morris and Cathleen have traveled to all 50 U.S. states and a few countries.
He was a Snap On dealer for Kosciusko County for 38 years, retiring in 2016. Snap On Tools sent Morris and Cathleen on the Honor Flight to the nation’s capitol. He has visited the Vietnam War Memorial twice and looked up Willard Clinton Debolt. Folk never knew Debolt, but he knew he was from Warsaw and that he had laid down his life for his country.
Folk’s father was a World War II veteran that served in the Philippines and Japan. His uncle, James Folk, was a Korean War veteran.
Morris and Cathleen are members of The Cook Chapel Church. He also is a member of Gideon’s International and the Echoes of the Past tractor club.
Maron said Folk is “very humbled and honored this morning to receive the Veteran of the Month award. He says there are so many others that deserve it more.”
After a round of applause and the presentation of the framed certificate to Folk, he said, “(I’m) very humbled by this. It’s hard for me to talk.”
He said it was probably safer where he was at in Vietnam than the south side of Chicago or South Bend. He said the only difference was that they didn’t have rockets or mortars on the south side yet.
After telling a couple of short stories, he said his mother prayed for him the whole time he was in Vietnam. “God wasn’t done with me. It was the reason I wasn’t killed. I came close,” Folk said.
County Veteran Affairs Officer Rich Maron presented Folk to the County Commissioners at their meeting Tuesday and read Folk’s biography that he had prepared.
Morris was born Nov. 7, 1950, to Wilfred and Martha Folk. The youngest of four children, he spent his childhood in the Claypool area, where he also attended school. He moved to Warsaw schools in the 10th grade, graduating from Warsaw High School.
In November 1969, Folk was drafted and sent to Indianapolis for his physical. In January 1970, he received orders to report to Fort Knox, Ky., for basic training. From there, he was sent to Fort Eustis, Va., for advanced infantry training. After completing that training, he received orders for Qui Nhon, Vietnam. He was given a 30-day leave before heading to Vietnam.
After being there for 2-1/2 months, Folk was shipped home on a Red Cross emergency leave. Folk’s father, Wilfred, was going in for surgery. A farmer, it was harvest time and time to pick corn.
Folk applied to be attached to Fort Harrison on the north side of Indianapolis, but after 30 days, he received orders they were sending him back to Vietnam just before Christmas.
After his arrival, Folk worked in transportation and was assigned to the motorpool where he drove a water truck, taxi cab, bus, wrecker and did “all kinds of mechanical work,” Maron said.
While Folk was there, the camp came under mortar attack and one of the mortars blew up just a few feet away from him.
Maron said, “He stated by the grace of God, it was like a big hand shoved him down behind some sandbags, and he heard the schrapnel fly by him, but was never hit. Three other mortars lodged in the building’s eve behind them, but never exploded. Morris said, ‘I guess it just wasn’t my time.’”
Later in his tour, the Viet Cong blew up the ammo dump. It was on the outside of town, a few miles away. There was a big explosion that blew his TV off of his foot locker, and many more explosions followed.
Folk was granted some rest and relaxation and he went to Sydney, Australia. When he was returning back to his unit, Folk ran into Dave Cox, of Warsaw, who was ahead of him in school. Cox was on his way home.
Folk remembers driving a load of soldiers to go see Bob Hope. He didn’t go because there were so many soliders going.
While in Vietnam, Folk’s mother, Martha, wrote President Richard Nixon, asking why her son was not allowed to carry a gun or rifle while in Vietnam. Folk was called down to headquarters about that.
He spent 16 months in Vietnam before returning home. He was promoted to the rank of specialist 4 and given an early out because the Army was starting to scale back.
Maron said, “His return home was a tough and difficult time. He recalled people yelled, spit and heckled him, a lot of Vietnam soldiers. He was really disappointed at our country, but is happy that things have changed and finally feels very appreciated for his service.”
Folk returned home in February 1972, but he never told anyone he was coming. His girlfriend at the time, Cathleen Boyer, who later became his wife, didn’t know. Folk made her promise to finish college before he told her he was a civilian again.
Folk and Boyer were married Oct. 14, 1973, and have been married for 47 years. They have two sons, Jeremy and Clayton. They have two grandsons, Edward, 9, and Lawrence, 6.
Morris and Cathleen have traveled to all 50 U.S. states and a few countries.
He was a Snap On dealer for Kosciusko County for 38 years, retiring in 2016. Snap On Tools sent Morris and Cathleen on the Honor Flight to the nation’s capitol. He has visited the Vietnam War Memorial twice and looked up Willard Clinton Debolt. Folk never knew Debolt, but he knew he was from Warsaw and that he had laid down his life for his country.
Folk’s father was a World War II veteran that served in the Philippines and Japan. His uncle, James Folk, was a Korean War veteran.
Morris and Cathleen are members of The Cook Chapel Church. He also is a member of Gideon’s International and the Echoes of the Past tractor club.
Maron said Folk is “very humbled and honored this morning to receive the Veteran of the Month award. He says there are so many others that deserve it more.”
After a round of applause and the presentation of the framed certificate to Folk, he said, “(I’m) very humbled by this. It’s hard for me to talk.”
He said it was probably safer where he was at in Vietnam than the south side of Chicago or South Bend. He said the only difference was that they didn’t have rockets or mortars on the south side yet.
After telling a couple of short stories, he said his mother prayed for him the whole time he was in Vietnam. “God wasn’t done with me. It was the reason I wasn’t killed. I came close,” Folk said.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092