Staff Sergeant Melvin Morris

Melvin Morris, a Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Okmulgee, Okla. on January 7, 1942, and he and his family settled in Brevard County in December 1990. On September 17, 1969, while serving as a Staff Sergeant and commander of a strike force drawn from Company D, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, during combat operations near Chi Lang in the Republic of Vietnam, he learned that a fellow team commander had been killed near an enemy bunker. He reorganized his men and split off with two men to recover the body, but intense hostile fire wounded both of the men with him. After helping them back to his forces' lines, he charged forward alone into enemy fire, destroyed enemy machine-gun positions with hand grenades, continued the assault, and eliminated four bunkers. Though wounded three times, he retrieved his comrade and returned to friendly lines. On March 18, 2014, at White House ceremonies in the name of Congress, the President of the United States of America presented the Medal of Honor to Sergeant First Class Morris for gallantry above and beyond the call of duty.

Cocoa, Florida · United States