Norris Morvant was born in February 1924 in Thibodaux, Louisiana and grew up on plantations in nearby L’Abadieville and Larose where his father worked as a blacksmith. As a child, he learned the trade of his father. He lived on a farm where they raised livestock for food. He cut trees down for firewood to keep his house warm during the winter. They did not have plumbing in his house. He grew up with nine siblings. During The Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States], they had to work together and support each other. French was his first language and he spoke it with his family. When he went to school, he had to learn English. He was not allowed to speak French on the school grounds. Morvant was aware of the uprising hostilities in Asia and Europe, but he was not concerned about it. Morvant was living in Shreveport, Louisiana when he heard the news of Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He did not understand the severity of the event until President Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] declared war on Japan. In late 1942, he quit his job and received his draft notice. It was a scary feeling to think he would serve and might not coming back from war.

Norris Morvant was drafted into the Army in late 1942 and was sent to a staging area in Alexandria [Annotator’s Note: Alexandria, Louisiana]. Three weeks later, he boarded a train and headed to Atlantic City, New Jersey for basic training. He stayed in a hotel on the boardwalk. He was evaluated and was selected for the Army Air Corps and sent to Kansas City, Missouri for radio and radar school. He contracted pneumonia and was removed from the school. He was then sent to engineering school in Seattle [Annotator’s Note: Seattle, Washington]. After training, Morvant was sent overseas to Teddington, England to join the 89th Station Complement Squadron attached to General Eisenhower’s [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force; 34th President of the United States] SHAEF [Annotator’s Note: Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in northwest Europe]. He worked with many major military commanders and government officials during his service. Morvant did not like the feeling of going into combat and killing people because he was taught to love others from the Bible. His role was to do any odd service jobs that may be required, including picking up laundry and delivering messages. He visited London [Annotator’s Note: London, England] often where V2 rockets [Annotator's Note: German Vergeltungswaffe 2, or Retribution Weapon 2, ballistic missile] hit the city every night. He had a lot of time off and he explored London and other towns that had castles. Morvant was aware that a big invasion [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944] was about to happen because of all the preparation that was going on. When Cherbourg [Annotator’s Note: Cherbourg, France] fell, the 89th moved to Granville [Annotator’s Note: Granville, France] to set up a new facility for SHAEF.

In France, Norris Morvant used his knowledge of the French language to act as a translator. He has many good memories of the French people and the relationships he built with them. On several occasions, he volunteered to deliver messages and supplies to the front lines. He went into a French commune to barter soap for eggs. For three days during the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945], Morvant drove a 2.5-ton truck [Annotator's Note: two and a half ton, six by six truck, also known as deuce and a half] carrying gasoline to General Patton’s [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] forces in Belgium. For this he was awarded a Bronze Star [Annotator's Note: the Bronze Star Medal is the fourth-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy]. He said there was an initial barrier to overcome in learning Parisian French as opposed to his native Cajun dialect, but he was able to understand the Parisians just fine. He was invited to a Parisian wedding during his time overseas and made some lifelong friends. Morvant felt lucky to have the role he was given during World War 2. [Annotator’s Note: Interviewee pauses interview to look for a book at 0:45:30.000.]

Norris Morvant served in France [Annotator’s Note: with the 89th Station Complement Squadron] delivering supplies along the front lines during World War 2. He was at headquarters when the war ended in Europe. It was a good feeling that the war had finally ended. He returned to the United Stated by way of Le Havre [Annotator’s Note: Le Havre, France] and was discharged on 24 December 1945 at Fort Dix [Annotator's Note: now Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Trenton, New Jersey]. He arrived home in Louisiana on Christmas morning. He faced some difficulty in readjusting to civilian life, because he did not feel as though he belonged. His parents helped him by giving him a sense of belonging again. He is very thankful for his mother and what she did and sacrificed for him and the family. He took advantage of the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] and went to school. He also joined the American Legion which helped him transition into a career as a locksmith.

Norris Morvant’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was visiting places in England and France. As a young person, he never thought he would be able to explore different parts of the world. He served because he was drafted, but once he entered the Army, it felt like the right thing to do. The war changed his life by making Morvant more optimistic and appreciative of what he had. He is grateful that he can say he is a veteran of World War 2 and now serves in various military organizations. He believes that many young Americans do not know anything about World War 2 and are not taught in school about the subject. Morvant believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because America is the best country in the world.