OTS names dormitory after former Air Force JAG

From left, Col. Timothy O’Brien, Sally Morehouse and Lt. Gen. Richard Harding admire the storyboard of retired Maj. Gen. David Morehouse on display in Officer Training School’s Morehouse Hall. The dormitory, Building 1491, was renamed June 24 in honor of General Morehouse, who was Judge Advocate General, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, from 1991 to 1993. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Melanie Rodgers Cox)

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OTS names dormitory after former Air Force JAG

Published July 1, 2010
By Carl Bergquist
Air University Public Affairs

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Maxwell's building 1491, an Officer Training School dormitory, has a new name.
The dormitory is now Morehouse Hall, in memory of Maj. Gen. David Morehouse, a former Judge Advocate General, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

In attendance for the dedication ceremony last week was Lt. Gen. Richard Harding, the current Air Force Judge Advocate General.

"As a member of the JAG Corps, I couldn't be more delighted they have named the building after him," General Harding said. "A building is the story of the people who live in it, and from this day forward, those living here will say, 'I was there. I stayed at Morehouse Hall.'"

General Harding said members of the JAG Corps are guided by Air Force Core Values, as well as the JAG values of wisdom, valor and justice. He said General Morehouse "rigidly followed" the JAG values in his work and life.

General Harding said General Morehouse was "one of the most inspirational leaders" he has known, and a person that had made an "indelible mark" on his career. He related a story from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, where General Morehouse had retired. The general stopped by one day to say hello and spent hours helping a young Airman with a problem.

"When he was done, I told General Morehouse we could have found someone else to help the Airman, and he said, 'No, I enjoyed it. I had plenty of time and it was exactly what I wanted to be doing,'" General Harding said. "Today, this is exactly what I want to be doing. I'm very proud to have his name associated with the dormitory, and it will help his legacy live on in JAG history."

Col. Timothy O'Brien, OTS commander, said the school was also proud to dedicate the building to General Morehouse. He said the general lived a life of service to the Air Force, and he truly made a difference.

"As students attend this school, every Airman will know General Morehouse was made of courage and the desire to excel," he said. "This is the story of leadership and excellence and will forever be a part of OTS."

Following the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Terry Djuric, commander of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, said the renaming was a special event for the Air Force because it recognizes a true leader.

"We all strive to do things that exemplify the conduct of men like General Morehouse," she said. "Naming a building after someone doesn't happen very often, and when you do it, it comes from the highest level and with meaning. I'm very proud that OTS is naming its buildings after such a diverse group of great Airmen."

Sally Morehouse, the wife of the late general, was on hand for the ceremony and said she was glad to be back at Maxwell, one of her favorite Air Force bases.

"I feel very honored to be here, and I know there are smiles in heaven this afternoon," she said. "Everything they said about him was exactly the way I knew him, but it is always good to hear it from other people."

Mrs. Morehouse said during her husband's term as the Air Force's top JAG, he was instrumental in getting the JAG School established at Maxwell. She said she was at Maxwell for the opening of the JAG School, and following his retirement, General Morehouse served on the JAG School board.

After earning a Juris Doctorate degree from Creighton University in 1960, General Morehouse accepted a direct commission as a first lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve's Department of Judge Advocate General. Following several assignments as a staff JAG, he served in 1969 as staff judge advocate for the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam.

After returning to the U.S., General Morehouse was assigned to the Office of Judge Advocate General, Air Force Headquarters; attended the National War College; and was assigned to Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Randolph and Langley AFB, Va. He was promoted in 1988 to major general and became the deputy judge advocate general at Air Force Headquarters. In 1991, he became the top Air Force JAG and retired in 1993. General Morehouse passed away July 15, 2008.

Morehouse Hall is located next to the Ritchie Center in the OTS complex.