Author Roy MorrisThese are the stories of Marine Corp Veteran Roy Morris, his family, their loved ones, friends and neighbors.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ROY MORRIS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ROY

MORRIS

I was born on 9 October 1947 in Atkins, Arkansas as the fourth child of seven born to Steve and Alta Morris. Although it took me an extra year of study, I was the first of the Morris children to formally graduate from high school but this was made possible ONLY by the hard work and the sacrifices that were made by my older brother, E. Ray and my older sister, Shirley. (My other older brother, Cecil Ray, had died in childhood before I was born).

Like the older children had done before me, I started working in the fields and on our neighbors’ farms even before I started school. We all chipped in to help put beans and ‘taters on the table. That was a source of great personal pride for each of us.

On weekends, after school, and on summer vacations, I worked with livestock and poultry, built and cleared fences, cleaned out chicken houses and barns, hauled thousands upon thousands of bales of hay and operated all sorts of farm equipment.

Immediately upon graduating, I joined the United States Marine Corps. Following recruit training and after various other military specialty schools, I was sent to Viet-Nam. I was a fire team leader, machine gun operator, combat engineer, squad leader and supply specialist in First Bridge Company, Seventh Engineer Battalion, First Marine Division, operating mostly north of Da Nang and in the Hue area. On my second trip to Viet-Nam, I was reassigned to the same unit.I rose quickly through the enlisted ranks and was already a Gunnery Sergeant (E-7) in 1978, when I was selected for promotion to Warrant Officer (and subsequently, to Chief Warrant Officer).

After I got out of the Marine Corps, I worked for ten years for the federal government (in civil service) as a warehouse work leader. During the past 20+ years, my employment has consisted mostly of menial labor at minimum wage. During several periods, I have worked as a forklift operator in various warehouse environments, including cold storage freezers (and at a lumber yard). I have worked in parts departments and on production lines. I have even worked as a pizza delivery driver and as a cab driver. During the past few years, I have worked mostly on the Johnston Farm, doing exactly the same jobs I had done as a teenager.

In my younger years, I was very active in martial arts, earning a black belt in Shorin Ryu Karate and I was a serious (but amateur) bodybuilder and weightlifter. I never drank, or smoked or used drugs of any kind. Peer pressure (of any kind) never affected me.I have always tried to be a nice guy and I willingly do favors for family and friends but I am highly opinionated, I have absolutely no patience for fools, bullies or “jerks”, and I have always had a very deeply ingrained dislike for politicians of any kind.

I had a daughter, Brandie Lynn, born in May 1980. She lived for 3 months and 1 day and died in August 1980. I have been married and divorced more than once, which is a source of great shame for me. I was always able to find a woman to accept me but I could never find one who was able to put up with me forever. I’m a very giving, very caring male but I’m also a very demanding male.

I currently live alone in a house on the Johnston Farm. I am officially semi-retired and work part-time for the Johnston Family.

THICKER THAN

WATER

Thicker Than Water

MARINE CORPS

MUSTANG

Marine Corps Mustang

Thicker Than Water

THICKER THAN

WATER

Thicker Than Water

THICKER THAN

WATER

Marine Corps Mustang

MARINE CORPS

MUSTANG

Marine Corps Mustang

MARINE CORPS

MUSTANG

READER

REVIEWS

READER

REVIEWS

THICKER THAN

WATER

Thicker Than Water

$15.50

ISBN: 978-1-59330-843-8
Publisher: Aventine Press (January, 2014)
Page Count: 252 pages

MARINE CORPS

MUSTANG

Marine Corps Mustang

$19.50

ISBN: 978-1-59330-930-5
Publisher: Aventine Press (August, 2017)
Page Count: 346 pages