GMS History The History of Greenbrier Military School | Page 29

(Wikipedia) in 1976 for similar reasons to Greenbrier’s. By 1967, at least,
the glory days of GMS were over.
What were the glory days? The 1940s and ‘50s were the years of high
enrollment when the school was popular, acclaimed, and won honors for
itself and for individual students. The School of Achievement grew in every
way from 1925 until about 1965, when the times were changing as the war
in Vietnam escalated. GMS always sent its graduates to serve in the wars.
Cadets were honored and they died. The athletic field and parade ground
was called Mathews Field in honor of Alexander Mathews, the first
alumnus to die in action in World War I (GMS catalog, 1971-72, p. 72). The
Honor Plaque, once displayed in the GMS library, listed the names of 1500
cadets who served in World War II. Charles Ambler, WVU professor
emeritus who wrote the book A History of Education in West Virginia from
Early Colonial Times to 1949, listed forty-eight known alumni and student
casualties (p. 744).
Two of the casualties were Moore sons: John M. McMurray and Joseph
M. Moore Jr. John Moore McMurray, born in 1920, died in November 1942,
the same year his younger brother Cadet Sgt. William Harvey McMurray
graduated from GMS and was elected to the Hall of Fame for scholarship.
J.M. Moore Jr. (Ian) also graduated in 1942 and was named to the Hall of
Fame for military in 1943. When it came time for Superintendent J.M., or
Col. Joe, to choose the cadet who would be appointed to the U.S. Military
Academy, these two young men were tied in their test scores and their
abilities: his nephew Bill McMurray and his only son Ian. Which one would
he recommend to get the appointment? Calling upon the wisdom of King
Solomon, with prayer and study, Col. Joe made his choice. Bill McMurray
went on to graduate first in his class at West Point and he served a
distinguished Army career. Second Lt. J.M. Moore Jr. went into the Army
infantry and died on Nov. 11, 1944, after he was wounded in the early days of
the Battle of the Bulge. In October 1944, Gen. George C. Marshall had
presented Ian with the Silver Star. Posthumously he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross. The citation reads, in part: “Although seriously
wounded, Lieutenant Moore gallantly continued to lead his platoon and so
inspired his men that they overran and destroyed the entire enemy position.
The bravery, resourcefulness, and devotion to duty displayed by Second
Lieutenant Moore . . . .” Ian was 18 years old. Though the loss was of
personal significance to the Moore brothers, the bravery and skill
demonstrated by Ian would also be shown by many former GMS cadets who
fought and died in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
Activities
The cadet Band won many honors through the years. Depending on the
talent of the cadets and the accomplishment of their leader, some years had