Maurice Andrew Ward was the son of Maurice V. Ward and Mary Gladys Murray. He was the oldest of their children and was born, raised and educated in the Kaw Township area of Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri.
The 1940 U.S. Census shows the family as living in Kansas City. The census showed the following family members as living in the home:
Head Maurice V Ward M 50 Kansas
Wife Mary G Ward F 43 Kansas
Son Maurice A Ward M 20 Missouri
Son William E Ward M 16 Missouri
Dau Ellen Jane Ward F 13 Missouri
Mother-in-law Ellen Murray F 71 Illinois
Maurice enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1941, and attended flight training Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. After qualifying as a pilot, he went to Jacksonville for advanced training in dive bomber tactics. Maurice was granted liberty in December 1941 so he could be home for Christmas. He was at his parents' home in Kansas City when the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As with all American military personnel on leave that day, Maurice was ordered to report back to his unit and being a reservist, placed on active duty until further orders.
Maurice was assigned to fly the Vought SB2U Vindicator with VMSB-241 out of Midway. His gunner was Private First Class Harry Morton Radford of Carthage, Missouri, not far from where Maurice was raised. On May 26, the squadron received a few Douglas Dauntless SBD-2 dive bombers and the commanding officer, Major Lofton Henderson, divided his pilots into two groups. Maurice and Radford were in the group that received the new aircraft, and flew in Major Henderson's Third Section, with Captain Armond DeLalio as his section leader and wingman.
Ward had only a few days to learn the controls of his new Dauntless, #2122. On the morning of June 4, 1942, he and PFC Radford took off from Midway and, as Japanese planes turned the base to rubble behind them, flew off to try and find the carrier strike force that was approaching their territory.
After nearly ninety minutes in the air, the Americans spotted the carriers – and were in turn spotted by patrolling planes from the carrier HIRYU. The slow dive-bombers, unable to dive properly due to the pilots inexperience, were easy targets. Soon, eight of the dive-bombers were falling in flames – one of them carried Maurice and PFC Radford to their deaths. It is presumed they are still with their aircraft in a location known only to God.
Maurice was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross for his actions in the battle. His citation reads as follows:
"The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant Maurice Andrew Ward (MCSN: 0-7993), United States Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while serving as a Pilot in Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron TWO HUNDRED FORTY-ONE (VMSB-241), Marine Air Group TWENTY-TWO (MAG-22), Naval Air Station, Midway, during operations of the U.S. Naval and Marine Forces against the invading Japanese Fleet during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. During the initial attack upon an enemy aircraft carrier, Second Lieutenant Ward, in the face of withering fire from Japanese fighter guns and anti-aircraft batteries, dived his plane to a perilously low altitude before releasing his bomb. Since he failed to return to his base and is mission in action, there can be no doubt, under conditions attendant to the Battle of Midway, that he gave up his life in the defense of his country. His cool courage and conscientious devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service".
At the time of his death, Maurice's parents were living at 4322 Sunrise Drive, Kansas City, Missouri.
Second Lieutenant Maurice Andrew Ward, Sn# O-07993, earned the following badges/decorations for his service in the United States Marine Corps during World War II:
- Gold Navy Pilots Wings
- Navy Cross
- Purple Heart Medal
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- American Defense Service Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations Campaign Medal with one bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
**NOTE** - Maurice's younger brother William would also serve in World War II as a Naval officer and participated in the Battle of Okinawa.
The 1940 U.S. Census shows the family as living in Kansas City. The census showed the following family members as living in the home:
Head Maurice V Ward M 50 Kansas
Wife Mary G Ward F 43 Kansas
Son Maurice A Ward M 20 Missouri
Son William E Ward M 16 Missouri
Dau Ellen Jane Ward F 13 Missouri
Mother-in-law Ellen Murray F 71 Illinois
Maurice enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1941, and attended flight training Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. After qualifying as a pilot, he went to Jacksonville for advanced training in dive bomber tactics. Maurice was granted liberty in December 1941 so he could be home for Christmas. He was at his parents' home in Kansas City when the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As with all American military personnel on leave that day, Maurice was ordered to report back to his unit and being a reservist, placed on active duty until further orders.
Maurice was assigned to fly the Vought SB2U Vindicator with VMSB-241 out of Midway. His gunner was Private First Class Harry Morton Radford of Carthage, Missouri, not far from where Maurice was raised. On May 26, the squadron received a few Douglas Dauntless SBD-2 dive bombers and the commanding officer, Major Lofton Henderson, divided his pilots into two groups. Maurice and Radford were in the group that received the new aircraft, and flew in Major Henderson's Third Section, with Captain Armond DeLalio as his section leader and wingman.
Ward had only a few days to learn the controls of his new Dauntless, #2122. On the morning of June 4, 1942, he and PFC Radford took off from Midway and, as Japanese planes turned the base to rubble behind them, flew off to try and find the carrier strike force that was approaching their territory.
After nearly ninety minutes in the air, the Americans spotted the carriers – and were in turn spotted by patrolling planes from the carrier HIRYU. The slow dive-bombers, unable to dive properly due to the pilots inexperience, were easy targets. Soon, eight of the dive-bombers were falling in flames – one of them carried Maurice and PFC Radford to their deaths. It is presumed they are still with their aircraft in a location known only to God.
Maurice was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross for his actions in the battle. His citation reads as follows:
"The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant Maurice Andrew Ward (MCSN: 0-7993), United States Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while serving as a Pilot in Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron TWO HUNDRED FORTY-ONE (VMSB-241), Marine Air Group TWENTY-TWO (MAG-22), Naval Air Station, Midway, during operations of the U.S. Naval and Marine Forces against the invading Japanese Fleet during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. During the initial attack upon an enemy aircraft carrier, Second Lieutenant Ward, in the face of withering fire from Japanese fighter guns and anti-aircraft batteries, dived his plane to a perilously low altitude before releasing his bomb. Since he failed to return to his base and is mission in action, there can be no doubt, under conditions attendant to the Battle of Midway, that he gave up his life in the defense of his country. His cool courage and conscientious devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service".
At the time of his death, Maurice's parents were living at 4322 Sunrise Drive, Kansas City, Missouri.
Second Lieutenant Maurice Andrew Ward, Sn# O-07993, earned the following badges/decorations for his service in the United States Marine Corps during World War II:
- Gold Navy Pilots Wings
- Navy Cross
- Purple Heart Medal
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- American Defense Service Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations Campaign Medal with one bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
**NOTE** - Maurice's younger brother William would also serve in World War II as a Naval officer and participated in the Battle of Okinawa.
Maurice Andrew Ward was the son of Maurice V. Ward and Mary Gladys Murray. He was the oldest of their children and was born, raised and educated in the Kaw Township area of Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri.
The 1940 U.S. Census shows the family as living in Kansas City. The census showed the following family members as living in the home:
Head Maurice V Ward M 50 Kansas
Wife Mary G Ward F 43 Kansas
Son Maurice A Ward M 20 Missouri
Son William E Ward M 16 Missouri
Dau Ellen Jane Ward F 13 Missouri
Mother-in-law Ellen Murray F 71 Illinois
Maurice enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1941, and attended flight training Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. After qualifying as a pilot, he went to Jacksonville for advanced training in dive bomber tactics. Maurice was granted liberty in December 1941 so he could be home for Christmas. He was at his parents' home in Kansas City when the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As with all American military personnel on leave that day, Maurice was ordered to report back to his unit and being a reservist, placed on active duty until further orders.
Maurice was assigned to fly the Vought SB2U Vindicator with VMSB-241 out of Midway. His gunner was Private First Class Harry Morton Radford of Carthage, Missouri, not far from where Maurice was raised. On May 26, the squadron received a few Douglas Dauntless SBD-2 dive bombers and the commanding officer, Major Lofton Henderson, divided his pilots into two groups. Maurice and Radford were in the group that received the new aircraft, and flew in Major Henderson's Third Section, with Captain Armond DeLalio as his section leader and wingman.
Ward had only a few days to learn the controls of his new Dauntless, #2122. On the morning of June 4, 1942, he and PFC Radford took off from Midway and, as Japanese planes turned the base to rubble behind them, flew off to try and find the carrier strike force that was approaching their territory.
After nearly ninety minutes in the air, the Americans spotted the carriers – and were in turn spotted by patrolling planes from the carrier HIRYU. The slow dive-bombers, unable to dive properly due to the pilots inexperience, were easy targets. Soon, eight of the dive-bombers were falling in flames – one of them carried Maurice and PFC Radford to their deaths. It is presumed they are still with their aircraft in a location known only to God.
Maurice was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross for his actions in the battle. His citation reads as follows:
"The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant Maurice Andrew Ward (MCSN: 0-7993), United States Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while serving as a Pilot in Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron TWO HUNDRED FORTY-ONE (VMSB-241), Marine Air Group TWENTY-TWO (MAG-22), Naval Air Station, Midway, during operations of the U.S. Naval and Marine Forces against the invading Japanese Fleet during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. During the initial attack upon an enemy aircraft carrier, Second Lieutenant Ward, in the face of withering fire from Japanese fighter guns and anti-aircraft batteries, dived his plane to a perilously low altitude before releasing his bomb. Since he failed to return to his base and is mission in action, there can be no doubt, under conditions attendant to the Battle of Midway, that he gave up his life in the defense of his country. His cool courage and conscientious devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service".
At the time of his death, Maurice's parents were living at 4322 Sunrise Drive, Kansas City, Missouri.
Second Lieutenant Maurice Andrew Ward, Sn# O-07993, earned the following badges/decorations for his service in the United States Marine Corps during World War II:
- Gold Navy Pilots Wings
- Navy Cross
- Purple Heart Medal
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- American Defense Service Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations Campaign Medal with one bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
**NOTE** - Maurice's younger brother William would also serve in World War II as a Naval officer and participated in the Battle of Okinawa.
The 1940 U.S. Census shows the family as living in Kansas City. The census showed the following family members as living in the home:
Head Maurice V Ward M 50 Kansas
Wife Mary G Ward F 43 Kansas
Son Maurice A Ward M 20 Missouri
Son William E Ward M 16 Missouri
Dau Ellen Jane Ward F 13 Missouri
Mother-in-law Ellen Murray F 71 Illinois
Maurice enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1941, and attended flight training Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. After qualifying as a pilot, he went to Jacksonville for advanced training in dive bomber tactics. Maurice was granted liberty in December 1941 so he could be home for Christmas. He was at his parents' home in Kansas City when the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As with all American military personnel on leave that day, Maurice was ordered to report back to his unit and being a reservist, placed on active duty until further orders.
Maurice was assigned to fly the Vought SB2U Vindicator with VMSB-241 out of Midway. His gunner was Private First Class Harry Morton Radford of Carthage, Missouri, not far from where Maurice was raised. On May 26, the squadron received a few Douglas Dauntless SBD-2 dive bombers and the commanding officer, Major Lofton Henderson, divided his pilots into two groups. Maurice and Radford were in the group that received the new aircraft, and flew in Major Henderson's Third Section, with Captain Armond DeLalio as his section leader and wingman.
Ward had only a few days to learn the controls of his new Dauntless, #2122. On the morning of June 4, 1942, he and PFC Radford took off from Midway and, as Japanese planes turned the base to rubble behind them, flew off to try and find the carrier strike force that was approaching their territory.
After nearly ninety minutes in the air, the Americans spotted the carriers – and were in turn spotted by patrolling planes from the carrier HIRYU. The slow dive-bombers, unable to dive properly due to the pilots inexperience, were easy targets. Soon, eight of the dive-bombers were falling in flames – one of them carried Maurice and PFC Radford to their deaths. It is presumed they are still with their aircraft in a location known only to God.
Maurice was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross for his actions in the battle. His citation reads as follows:
"The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant Maurice Andrew Ward (MCSN: 0-7993), United States Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while serving as a Pilot in Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron TWO HUNDRED FORTY-ONE (VMSB-241), Marine Air Group TWENTY-TWO (MAG-22), Naval Air Station, Midway, during operations of the U.S. Naval and Marine Forces against the invading Japanese Fleet during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. During the initial attack upon an enemy aircraft carrier, Second Lieutenant Ward, in the face of withering fire from Japanese fighter guns and anti-aircraft batteries, dived his plane to a perilously low altitude before releasing his bomb. Since he failed to return to his base and is mission in action, there can be no doubt, under conditions attendant to the Battle of Midway, that he gave up his life in the defense of his country. His cool courage and conscientious devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service".
At the time of his death, Maurice's parents were living at 4322 Sunrise Drive, Kansas City, Missouri.
Second Lieutenant Maurice Andrew Ward, Sn# O-07993, earned the following badges/decorations for his service in the United States Marine Corps during World War II:
- Gold Navy Pilots Wings
- Navy Cross
- Purple Heart Medal
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- American Defense Service Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations Campaign Medal with one bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
**NOTE** - Maurice's younger brother William would also serve in World War II as a Naval officer and participated in the Battle of Okinawa.
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Missouri.
Family Members
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