Profiles in Valor: Sergeant First Class Melvin Morris

Sergeant First Class Melvin Morris was one of the Army’s first men to wear the famous “Green Beret,” in our Army’s Special Forces. During his second tour in Vietnam, on September 17, 1969, Morris and his men came under a heavy surprise attack. He quickly rallied his men, then set off to retrieve the body of a fallen comrade. “You don’t leave a Soldier behind,” he later recalled thinking. He would be awarded the Medal of Honor, but not until March 18, 2014 – nearly 45 years later – after a review of veteran minorities. Of more than 6,500 cases reviewed, 24 were deemed eligible for the Medal of Honor. Only three still survived – among them, SFC Melvin Morris.