U.P. Veteran of the Year

Besides being Governor’s Day, Thursday at the U.P. State Fair is also Veterans’ Day.

The award ceremony for the 2012 Upper Peninsula Veteran of the Year is part of the occasion.

Richard Morrison of Escanaba is this year’s honoree.

He says that when he was told the award was coming his way, he didn’t even want it.

Morrison says he takes pride himself in his accomplishments but doesn’t seek recognition for them; he says he didn’t even want fellow veterans to thank him after he helped them file a benefits claim for them.

He was a Marine Corps corporal during World War II who saw action at Iwo Jima and won two Bronze Stars.

After the war, Morrison worked as a service officer for the American Legion for more than 25 years.

He did such a good job that the Legion recently named its Michigan service officer training school after him.