“There was a sense of pride
On my daddy’s side
That he went away to war.
Laying wire in front of Patton’s fire in 1944”
– Gary Morris, “Sense of Pride”
When you hear the name Gary Morris, the many accolades of this great vocalist come to mind including topping the country charts five times, his rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings” which won both CMA and ACM “Song of the Year” and his performance of Jean Valjean in Broadway’s Les Miserables. His delicate yet strong tenor carries the lyrics of “Bring Him Home” with such emotion as he sings his prayer for the young Marius to return home safe from war.
The empathy that Morris breathes into Valjean comes from his own understanding of that want, that need for soldiers to make it home safe. In honor of Veterans Day, we spoke with Morris to learn about his family’s legacy in the US Armed Forces, and how he’s served our men and women in uniform throughout his career.
CN: You grew up in a family where military service was a part of life. Could you tell us your family’s history in the military?
GM: My dad was master sergeant in the army during in World War II in communications. He was out laying wire in front of General Patton. My uncle, his brother, was in the Air Force during WWII. My other uncle fought in the Korean war. I was in the first lottery in 1969 during the Vietnam War and drew no. 12. I went to get a physical and they told me to prepare to go straight to basic training after my physical. I did not even expect to go home. I got to the end of the physical and the doctor told me to go see a doctor, because my blood pressure was so high. I got a deferment. The war ended shortly after that.
I still wanted to do something for the troops, so after that, I had a little trio and we volunteered to do USO Shows. We went to South America, The Islands. This was before I was even making records. We probably did 100 different performances all over the world. I also performed with the Air Force Reserve Orchestra in Italy and Germany and also with the Marine Corp. Band at the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and at many special events to honor the military.
I was honored to participate in the CBS Special that welcomed back the troops from the Gulf War. I performed a song written especially for the occasion and for me to sing titled “Last Full Measure of Devotion.”
CN: Can you share some of your experiences during the USO tours? How did it feel knowing you were able to bring an escape, albeit temporary, to our service men and women?
GM: Especially memorable were a series of shows I did with Jay Leno in Ramstein, Germany. There were guys there from Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene who actually were going home soon and told me they would be at my Christmas show in Abilene. It was great to connect with the soldiers in a personal way.
I also was thrilled to get to fly an F-16 plane. Now that was seriously cool. Of course there was a pilot with me, but I did get to control the stick for a few minutes.
A year or so later I was doing a concert in New Brownsville, TX and that pilot was there at the concert asking me to sign a CD!
CN: How important was it for you to visit some of the neglected military out-posts overseas, such as in the Middle East?
It was important for those guys to know they are not there alone. We are not carrying m-16’s and walking beside them, but we are there in spirit.
They were so appreciative to be touch home for a moment. It was a long touch home.
CN: Your service to our men and women continues to this day as you open your home and Mountain Spirit Ranch to Veterans who suffer from PTSD. What kind of activities and support do the Veterans receive while at the ranch?
GM: There have been three different groups that have come now for several years. One group is from Abilene. They are all housed and fed and provided guides on the river. The activities we have done for our vets are confined to fly fishing. No shooting sports are involved when our vets are in.
Another group is from the Dallas area. The North Texas Patriots. They are different. They actually want to work half a day with they come and “give back” for us giving to them. We house them. They bring their own food and they cook. They might repair a fence or a deck, then they fish the river.
I personally have been in the river with both groups, guiding them. I have observed a huge change in the vets over the days they are at the ranch.
Often, in the beginning, they are very quiet and closed-up. Within a day, they are laughing, opening-up, relaxing. I attribute that change to them being in the water, casting the line, catching a fish or two. That is their reward.
CN: As awareness regarding PTSD and other post-combat conditions grows, what would you want our readers to know about what these brave men and women are going through when they arrive at your ranch?
GM: I would like for them to know that they are treated with dignity and respect, and allowed to be who they are. There are no conditions set on them on what they can and cannot do. I’m open, join in the festivities, I’m on the deck with them, if they want to drink beer and tell tales, that’s what we do. I believe it opens them up.
The first group I had in here, I guided, then I went back and did a show for the organization. They gifted me with a folded flag in a beautiful case that had flown in Iraq and Afghanistan. It now has a special place in my home, on the mantel.
CN: You also hold a benefit concert each Christmas season for Healing Adventures for Veterans and Survivors?
GM: This is an Abilene group of people that are big fly fishermen. I taught fly-fishing to the people who started the group. This charity concert will raise somewhere between $50- $70k. They use that to put on clinics to teach vets to fly fishing. I always donate a week at Mountain Spirit for their auction.
CN: This past September you released Sense of Pride, your 13th and most personal album to date. The title track tells the love story of your mother and father during his time served overseas, which you have dedicated to him and to all Veterans. How important was it for you to tell their story not only as your parents but perhaps as comfort for couples going through the same separation now?
GM: It was real important. As you know, I wasn’t living then, but I have my mom’s diary. My dad was stationed in Mississippi and she lived in a little town called Wiggins, MS. She and her friends would go to the dances. One of her journal entries reads, “I’m so excited, I’m looking forward to my first date with Master Sgt. Stanley Morris.” My dad was about to ship off to Germany. They wrote each other letters while he was overseas . The diary also talks about the day they got married.
My dad never talked about the war, but he thought about it. That is what’s happening with many cases now, the soldiers who have come home do not want to think or talk about the horrors of war.
Dad died at 87, and he did tell me he was out in front of Patton laying wire on the ground to communicate. That was way before cell phones! That generation “The Greatest Generation” didn’t talk about the war, they just absorbed it all. He kept a little box by his bed, which he told me he brought back from overseas.
Anecdotally, one of my best friends from Tennessee’s dad told him – “I was standing right behind Gen. Douglas MacArthur when he signed the Peace Treaty.” My friend went into the archives and found the signing pictures, and sure enough, there was his dad, standing right behind MacArthur.
Thank you Gary Morris for all you have done past and present for our service men and women. You are helping so many who have put themselves in harm’s way to protect our way of life, our freedom, and you are continuing to honor your father and uncles in all that you do.
For more information on Gary Morris, visit his website at www.garymorris.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
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