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Melvin Morris

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United States Army veteran
Melvin Morris
Morris receiving the Medal of Honor from President Obama in 2014.
Born (1942-01-07) January 7, 1942 (age 82)
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, US
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1959–1985
RankSergeant First Class
UnitCompany D,
5th Special Forces Group
1st Special Forces Command (Airborne)
Battles / warsVietnam War
AwardsMedal of Honor
Bronze Star Medal (2)
Purple Heart (2)
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Army Commendation Medal (2) with "V" device

Melvin Morris (born January 7, 1942) is a United States Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a Special Forces soldier, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Early life, Military Career, Later Life

Morris (left) with a comrade in Vietnam

Morris was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, on January 7, 1942. In 1959 Morris joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard and soon after joined the active duty United States Army.

In 1961, Morris became one of the first US Army soldiers to qualify as a Green Beret at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He twice volunteered for tours in South Vietnam.

Morris retired from the US Army with the rank of Sergeant First Class.

Morris appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of the American Battlefield Trust's magazine Hallowed Ground, writing about his visit to Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina, where Sergeant William Harvey Carney earned his Medal of Honor while serving with the 54th Massachusetts in 1863.

In December 1990, Morris and his family settled in Brevard County, Florida.

Medal of Honor action

Morris received the Medal of Honor for his valorous actions on September 17, 1969, while commanding the Third Company, Third Battalion of the IV Mobile Strike Force near Chi Lăng, South Vietnam. Then-Staff Sergeant Morris led an advance across enemy lines to recover the body of a fallen sergeant. Morris single-handedly destroyed with a bag of grenades an enemy force in a series of bunkers which was pinning down his battalion. Morris was shot three times during that engagement.

Morris received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama in a March 18, 2014 ceremony in the White House. The award came through the Defense Authorization Act, which called for a congressionally-mandated review of minorities including Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor Citation

A light blue neck ribbon with a gold star shaped medallion hanging from it. The ribbon is similar in shape to a bowtie with 13 white stars in the center of the ribbon.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor to:

MELVIN MORRIS
United States Army

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Staff Sergeant Melvin Morris distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Commander of a Strike Force drawn from Company D, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, during combat operations against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Chi Lang, Republic of Vietnam on September 17, 1969.

On that afternoon, Staff Sergeant Morris' affiliated companies encountered an extensive enemy mine field and were subsequently engaged by a hostile force. Staff Sergeant Morris learned by radio that a fellow team commander had been killed near an enemy bunker and he immediately reorganized his men into an effective assault posture before advancing forward and splitting off with two men to recover the team commander's body. Observing the maneuver, the hostile force concentrated its fire on Staff Sergeant Morris' three-man element and successfully wounded both men accompanying him. After assisting the two wounded men back to his forces' lines, Staff Sergeant Morris charged forward into withering enemy fire with only his men's suppressive fire as cover. While enemy machine gun emplacements continuously directed strafing fusillades against him, Staff Sergeant Morris destroyed the positions with hand grenades and continued his assault, ultimately eliminating four bunkers. Upon reaching the bunker nearest the fallen team commander, Staff Sergeant Morris repulsed the enemy, retrieved his comrade and began the arduous trek back to friendly lines. He was wounded three times as he struggled forward, but ultimately succeeded in returning his fallen comrade to a friendly position.

Staff Sergeant Morris' extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Other awards

SFC Morris' awards include:

Bronze oak leaf cluster Bronze oak leaf cluster
VBronze oak leaf clusterWidth-44 myrtle green ribbon with width-3 white stripes at the edges and five width-1 stripes down the center; the central white stripes are width-2 apart
Silver star Width-44 green ribbon with central width-8 flag blue stripe flanked by a pair of width-2 yellow stripes. At distance 6 from the edges are a pair of width-4 yellow stripes.


Badge Combat Infantryman Badge
1st Row Medal of Honor
(Upgraded from Distinguished Service Cross) 		Bronze Star
with 1 Oak leaf cluster 		Purple Heart
with 1 Oak leaf cluster
2nd Row Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal Army Commendation Medal
with "V" device and 1 Oak leaf cluster
3rd Row Army Good Conduct Medal
with silver clasp and 1 loop (6 awards) 		National Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
4th Row Vietnam Service Medal
with 1 silver Campaign star 		NCO Professional Development Ribbon
with award numeral 3 		Army Service Ribbon
5th Row Army Overseas Service Ribbon
with award numeral 4 		Vietnamese Gallantry Cross
with 1 Bronze star 		Vietnam Campaign Medal
with 1960— device
Badges South Vietnamese Parachutist badge Master Parachutist Badge Expert Marksmanship badge
with rifle component bar
Badges Special Forces Tab United States Army Special Forces
Distinctive unit insignia 		United States Army Special Forces
Combat Service Identification Badge

References

  1. ^ "Sergeant First Class Melvin Morris". Valor 24: Medal of Honor. United States Army. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  2. Guardians of the Green Beret. Melvin Morris, Hall of heroes. http://guardiansofthegreenberet.com/melvin-morris-hall-of-heroes
  3. Moody, R. Norman (18 March 2014). "Florida Army veteran will receive Medal of Honor". Florida Today. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Staff Sergeant Melvin Morris". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  5. Congressional Medal of Honor Society. "Vietnam War - U.S. Army -MELVIN MORRIS." https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/melvin-morris
  6. The National Medal of Honor Museum and Education Center. Morris, Melvin. https://mohmuseum.org/medal_of_honor/morris-melvin/
  7. Daniel Rothberg (2014-02-21). "Obama will award Medal of Honor to 24 overlooked Army veterans". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-02-21.
  8. "Vet Shocked to Learn of Medal of Honor: 'I fell to my knees'". NBC News. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
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