Story/photo by Elizabeth Poe

Naval Air Depot Cherry Point’s senior noncommissioned officer, 1st Sgt. Edward Morris, decided to join the Marines in 1993 after the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon. That attack killed 220 Marines and 21 other U.S. service members.
“It made me mad. I felt like I should do something about it,” said Morris, who lost two childhood friends in the bombing.
Two of the Marines killed in Beirut were brothers Morris grew up with in Dayton, Ohio.
“We went to school together. We were on the same wrestling team,” said Morris, who had not considered the military as a career until his friends were killed.
Despite the fact that the Air Force was the dominant branch of service in his hometown, Morris knew that the Marines were right for him, and he said it has been everything he hoped for.
“It’s been an absolute wonderful 22 years. Hopefully, I can do eight more,” said Morris.
Morris, who is a CH-46 helicopter crew chief and has been flying for nearly 20 years, said his most rewarding tours have been with search and rescue.
Serving with all the Marine SAR units, Morris has been stationed at Beaufort, S.C.; Iwakuni, Japan; and Cherry Point.
SAR crews are small and consist of a pilot, co-pilot, crew chief, swimmer and corpsman. As a crew chief, Morris was responsible for ensuring that the aircraft was ready to fly and SAR gear is ready to go.
Morris said SAR is a small community within the Marine Corps, and it’s not unusual to do back-to-back SAR tours “because they spend so much money to train you.”
He was attached to Marine Transport Squadron One at Cherry Point when Hurricane Floyd caused massive flooding in eastern North Carolina in September 1999.
“We rescued 399 people in two days,” Morris said. “It was amazing. Nothing is more gratifying than having someone look at you in that moment and say, ‘Thank you.’ You know it’s a heartfelt ‘thank you.’”
Morris, who is in a designated flight status, said he is the only first sergeant in the Marine Corps still flying.
“Flying has kept me in the Marine Corps,” Morris said. “Flying gets you up and away. No matter how bad it is on the ground, it’s a great day flying. No matter what problems you have, you don’t have them flying. It’s a different world.”
Being a Marine is not always easy.
“It’s a tough life, especially if you’re going to make a career of it,” he said. “You’re gone Christmas and holidays. It’s tough on the family and tough on the kids.”
Work has sustained Morris during deployments. Crew chiefs are designated with their aircraft and Morris has spent his time working on “his” CH-46 while deployed.
“You always want yours to be the best,” he smiled. “You stay busy. It’s constant work. There’s always something to do on the aircraft.”
Morris’ last tour was at MCAS New River with HMM-263. He deployed with the squadron aboard USS Nassau (LHA 4) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, returning in June 2003. His three-year tour at NADEP began in January 2004.
“I didn’t expect to come here, but I was thrilled when I found out I was,” he said. As the senior enlisted advisor to the commanding officer of Naval Air Depot Cherry Point, Morris works directly for Col. J. Mark Reed.
“Whatever the CO directs me to do I am more than happy to do it,” he said.
This is Morris’ first billet working with civilians and he said it is different after 21 years of working closely with Marines.
Working at NADEP has reminded Morris how the civilian workforce interacts, useful knowledge if when he retires from the Marine Corps he decides to continue working.
“I can’t walk into Lowes and start yelling at everybody,” he laughed, noting the differences between what is acceptable the military and civilian workplace.
“The positive attitude at NADEP is outstanding. It’s refreshing to see that everybody knows how important their jobs are, how important it is to get these aircraft back out to the warfighter. We’re fighting in two different countries. What we do here is huge.”
Morris is responsible for training the 38 Marines attached to the depot in the use of rifles and pistols, physical fitness, martial arts and proper gas chamber procedures.
Morris is very proud of young men and women joining the Marines today.
“It’s not much fun for these kids coming in now; they’re going straight to war. But they are doing a great job and you’ve got to admire them. They’re stepping up and asking to go back,” he said.
When his NADEP tour is over, Morris hopes he will have made sergeant major and return to a Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron.

Cutline: 1st Sgt. Edward Morris

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