Midwest Academy Leader-cast Episode 5: On Resilience with JD Morris

After graduating high-school in 1982, John David ("JD") Morris tried going to college, but that life just didn’t fit. In 1986, he enlisted in U.S. Army & everything started to make sense. He found connection with other like-minded people & purpose in serving our country. He started out in the Airborne Combat Engineers at Ft. Bragg, NC, and served there from 1987-1991. Three overseas deployments; two to Honduras, Central America, & one to Operation Desert Storm would be the highlights of his MOS-12B career. During those years at Ft. Bragg, NC, he was always impressed with the “other guys” across the street on Smoke Bomb Hill. They were Green Berets. Upon returning from Desert Storm, he immediately went to Special Forces Assessment and Selection-SFAS. After completing selection, he attended & completed the Special Forces Engineer Course & Special Forces Qualification Course in 1992. In December 1992, he reported to B/3/5^th SFG(A) at Ft. Campbell, KY. He had no way of knowing then that he would stay there until retirement in April 2008. He spent 13 years on Operational Detachments in 3^rd Battalion, 5^th Special Forces Group (A). Over those 13 years, he served as the Engineer Sergeant, Intelligence Sergeant, & Operations Sergeant (Team Sergeant) on Special Forces A-Teams. He deployed five times under long term combat conditions from 1991-2006. He also deployed for numerous contingency operations in the Middle East during the 1990’s.

After his third tour in Iraq during the Global War on Terror in 2006, he was very sick & confused. He suffered from PTSD & TBI; but couldn’t recognize it himself. After a medical retirement in 2008 at 21 years of service, he was lost in life after the military. It would take six more difficult years before the healing started. He is transparent about this part of his life in an attempt to give back & help others with the same post military & combat injuries. He offers the same support to local Law Enforcement & First Responders.

He dedicates his time after retirement to training others in local communities. His time spent over four decades in special military operations, combat operations, & specialized law enforcement operations enhances & benefits all levels of training in our current society.

However, he emphasizes that the hardest training he has endured is life after the military &  combat. Giving back what he has been so freely given is his way of continuing to heal.