According to the Philadelphia Examiner, in a December 29, 2010 "On this Day In History" article, nearly 700 Philadelphians lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Among those lost to the Vietnam War from Philadelphia, were 54 alumni of Thomas Edison School; the largest number of Vietnam War Casualties of any high school in the nation. There were 27 alumni of Father Judge High School, and 27 alumni from Cardinal Dougherty High School. There were two men from Philadelphia killed in action on the same day, December 29, 1968 during the Vietnam War. Although the two men were from different type units, they both were assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade: PFC William Leroy Brown Born on September 6, 1949 Army - Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Killed on December 29, 1968, in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam Listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall at Panel 35W, Line 2 - Visit PFC Brown's Page CPL James Joseph Morrissey Born on March 14, 1948 Army - Company B, 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Killed on December 29, 1968 in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam Listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall at Panel 35W, Line 5 - The Virtual Wall

Two men from Jim's unit wrote tributes to him...one describes the action and events surrounding his death: Another story, written by Jim's former Platoon Leader, speaks to his great character:

Jim, "Charlie" (Last name unknown) and Bob Mervine. Bob Mervine and Jim Morrissey... Jim Morrissey before the war... at home in Northeast Philadelphia. Jim Morrissey is buried at Greenmount Cemetery, 4301 North Front Street, Philadelphia, PA

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