Melvin Morris - U.S. Army 1959-85*

Medal of Honor recipient Melvin Morris was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, Jan. 7, 1942. Morris entered the Oklahoma Army National Guard in 1959 and later requested to join the active Army. He became one of the first Soldiers to don the 'green beret' at the command of President John F. Kennedy, Fort Bragg, N.C., in 1961. Morris volunteered twice for deployments to Vietnam. 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 Lang, Vietnam. Then-Staff Sgt. Morris led an advance across enemy lines to recover the body of a fallen sergeant. Morris single-handedly destroyed an enemy force with a bag of grenades in a series of bunkers that was pinning his battalion down. 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. * Morris served 1959-74 and 1977-85

This video was produced by The Rowlinson Media Group, VERO BEACH, FL.

More Information on Melvin Morris

Medal of Honor Recipient Melvin Morris walks in the footsteps of the 54th Massachusetts

This video was created as part the Brothers In Valor project, in which the American Battlefield Trust brought modern recipients of the Medal of Honor to Civil War battlefields so they could walk in the footsteps of earlier recipients who fought in circumstances parallel to their own. These stories, and incredible first-hand accounts more modern military service, were captured in breathtaking video footage and in the pages of a special edition of the Trust's Hallowed Ground membership magazine. The Trust is deeply grateful for the invaluable assistance provided by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society during this project. More Info

Vietnam War veteran Melvin Morris was overlooked for the Medal of Honor due to the color of his skin. But wrongs were made right decades later and he even kept a secret for President Obama. This is his story.