Father speaks at graduation

  • Published
  • By Frank McIntyre
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Twenty-four officers will earn their pilot's wings at the Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 04-04 graduation at 10 a.m. today in the auditorium.
The graduates spent 54 weeks studying flying fundamentals, checklist usage, emergency procedures, aviation physiology, applied aerodynamics, instruments, weather, navigation and mission planning.
Graduation ceremonies are always special as wings of silver or gold are pinned on to mark the ascension of class members into that select group of the world's finest pilots. But today's ceremony will be extra special for one member of Class 04-04, culminating the end of a rather circuitous journey to fulfilling his lifelong dream of flying.
Timothy Morris has always been interested in flying, a dream nurtured as early as age 5 or 6 when he accompanied his father James to work and viewed the aircraft in and around the hangars of his assigned duty station.
Now, Capt Tim Morris is a member of the graduating class that will be addressed during today's ceremony by a very familiar face -- his father, retired Army Brig Gen James Morris, former assistant commander, 42nd Infantry Division, New York Army National Guard.
When Captain Morris graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1996, a very small quota of flying slots for the graduates sent him to the Army exchange program in an attempt to improve his odds of garnering a coveted flying position. Unfortunately an administrative mix up landed him a position of infantry officer.
During his six and a half years as an infantry officer, Captain Morris never lost his desire to fly. When the Academy classmate who had introduced Captain Morris to his future wife lost his life in an aircraft mishap, Captain Morris realized his friend had died living his dreams. Realizing if he didn't try again for a pilot slot that he would always regret it, Captain Morris' flight path led him to the Air Force reserve unit at McChord AFB, Wash. For the final leg of his journey toward earning his silver wings, Captain Morris was sworn in at McChord while wearing his Army uniform, before returning to neighboring Fort Lewis to process out of the Army.
When General Morris pins the silver wings on his son, he passes on quite a legacy of family flying. A rated aviator for more than forty years, General Morris is an Army Master Aviator and commercial pilot with more than 20,000 flying hours in a variety of aircraft, including more than 990 combat hours in the O-1 in Southeast Asia.
General Morris' awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 17 oak leaf clusters and Army Commendation Medal.
Captain Morris will wear his silver wings to the 709th Airlift Squadron at Dover AFB, Del where he will be fly a C-5.
See the 24 new grads on Page 6.