| Melvin Morris | |
| Birth Date: | 7 January 1942 |
| Birth Place: | Okmulgee, Oklahoma, US |
| Allegiance: | United States |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1959–1985 |
| Rank: | Sergeant First Class |
| Unit: | Company D, 5th Special Forces Group 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) |
| Battles: | Vietnam War |
| Awards: | Medal 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.[1]
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.[1] [2] He twice volunteered for tours in South Vietnam.[3]
Morris retired from the US Army with the rank of Sergeant First Class.[4]
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.[4]
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.[5] Morris was shot three times during that engagement.[1] [6]
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.[7] [8]
SFC Morris' awards include:[1]
| Badge | Combat Infantryman Badge | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Row | Medal of Honor | Bronze Star | Purple Heart | ||||||||||
| 2nd Row | Meritorious Service Medal | Air Medal | Army Commendation Medal | ||||||||||
| 3rd Row | Army Good Conduct Medal | National Defense Service Medal | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | ||||||||||
| 4th Row | Vietnam Service Medal | NCO Professional Development Ribbon | Army Service Ribbon | ||||||||||
| 5th Row | Army Overseas Service Ribbon | Vietnamese Gallantry Cross | Vietnam Campaign Medal | ||||||||||
| Badges | South Vietnamese Parachutist badge | Master Parachutist Badge | Expert Marksmanship badge | ||||||||||
| Badges | Special Forces Tab | United States Army Special Forces | United States Army Special Forces | ||||||||||