Former Clayton County Commission Chairman Crandle Bray, Clayton County Commissioner and Rotarian Felicia Franklin Warner, Sergeant Ray Morgan, and Officer G. King. Commissioner Warner is presenting Sergeant Morgan with a proclamation honoring Sergeant Morgan's service.

Former Sergeant Ray Morgan of Riverdale, one of Georgia's extraordinary citizens, is a 94-year old survivor not only of World War II but also of Polio. He contracted Polio as an adult soon after returning home from the war. As the featured speaker for the November 6 meeting of the Rotary Club of Lake Spivey/Clayton County, Mr. Morgan thoroughly impressed his audience.

Given the proximity to November 11, the official date for Veterans Day, Mr. Morgan's topic was his experience as a tail gunner and later as a radar operator on the B-17, a four engine heavy bomber. At the age of 18, he joined the US Army Air Corps, which was the precursor to the US Air Force. Last Wednesday, describing in vivid but understated detail and with the vitality of a person half his 94 years, former Sergeant Morgan described several of his bombing missions. Flying from an airbase in Italy, his missions often went to targets in Germany. On one occasion the target was Berlin. On another mission his B-17 encountered the new jet fighters developed by Germany and used by them before any other countries. Sergeant Morgan flew a total of 13 missions as a tail gunner, operating two 50 caliber machine guns, and an additional 13 missions as a radar operator using radar technology only recently developed at the time.

As a Polio survivor Mr. Morgan also expressed appreciation for the extraordinary dedication, effort, and resources that Rotary International, has provided to the world during the last 30 years in the struggle to eradicate Polio from the Earth. During that time new cases have been reduced by 99.9%. The Rotary Club of Lake Spivey/Clayton County has participated in that struggle during all those years.