35 cents
VOL. 3/ISSUE 12
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015
Purple Heart recipients gather at SEAL Museum to be given special canes Mary Kemper STAFF WRITER
mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com
More than 20 Purple Heart Medal recipients were given special hand-carved canes at a ceremony Jan. 17 at the National UDT-Navy SEAL Museum in recognition of their sacrifices in serving the nation. The wooden canes were hand-crafted by members of the Indian River Woodcarvers Association, which has made several similar presentations in the past. Former Army Sgt. 1st Class Melvin Morris, Cocoa, who recently received the Medal of Honor, was one of those in attendance. Each cane, bearing a detailed bald eagle’s head as the hand-grip, is personalized for each veteran, with decals emplaced with the veteran’s name, years served, branch, unit and other information. The Colors were presented by an honor guard from the Jack Ivy 666 Detachment of the Marine Corps League, Port St. Lucie. The invocation was given by Navy chaplain, Capt. Dick Flick. Greg Mann, sergeant-at-arms of the Jack Ivy Detachment, gave opening remarks, giving an overview of the history of the Purple Heart Medal. Quoting the late Gen. Douglas McArthur, Mann said, “The price of freedom is the blood of the warrior. “These veterans are the fabric from which our flag is woven.” In addition to Morris, other notable attendees included St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara, Army Maj. Gen. Wayne Jackson, and Command “You are receiving (the canes) for the people who are not here, as well as for yourselves. I would quote words engraved at Arlington National Cemetery — ‘not for fame, nor reward.’” Ret. Army Maj. Gen. Wayne Jackson, speaking to Purple Heart recipients given personalized, hand-crafted canes
Mitch Kloorfain/chief photographer Former Army Sgt. 1st Class Melvin Morris, Cocoa, a recent recipient of the Medal of Honor, center, spoke of his service to the United States during a presentation of hand-carved canes crafted by the Indian River Woodcarvers Association. The canes were presented to Purple Heart Medal recipients at a ceremony Jan. 17 at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce. Sgt. Maj. Edgar Britt, who served in the 82nd Airborne Division, and who, as a young sergeant, had then-Pfc. Melvin Morris under his direction. Rick Kaiser, a former master chief in the Navy SEALs and director of the museum, thanked the members of the Woodcarvers Association for their work, especially member and Army veteran Lloyd Lasenby, “my friend, and the driver of this whole effort. “We will definitely have more of these (presentations) in the future.” Jackson, who commanded Special Forces units among many others, next gave remarks. “This is the medal no one wants,” he said, referring to the Purple Heart. “I also want to give thanks to the Woodcarvers. “You are receiving (the canes) for the people who are not here, as well as for yourselves. I would quote words engraved at Arlington National Cemetery — ‘not for fame, nor reward.’”
Britt was next to speak, and he fondly recalled his days training then-Pfc. Morris. “He said I was mean, rough, pushed him around,” Britt recalled with a chuckle. “But we’ve been friends for 43 years. He’s my comrade, a trooper, but best of all my friend, along with his lovely wife Mary, his daughter and granddaughters.” Britt spoke of the actions that earned Morris his Medal of Honor, which included saving the lives of several comrades and retrieving the body of a fallen sergeant under withering fire during a firefight in Vietnam. Then he said, “For years, he had my ‘six’ — for those of you who don’t know that term, it means having your back, protecting you — but today I’m his ‘six,’ and he’s my ‘point.’” Morris was next at the lectern. “I just can’t get rid of him,” he joked of
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