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Force Recon Marine Outshines His Peers

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Oct 6) -- The Marines are the few and the proud. He is one of the fewer, the prouder. He is a Force Reconnaissance Marine.

But even among those lofty ranks, SSgt. Joseph Morrison, a team leader with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Force Recon platoon, is in a class by himself. He is the fewest. But any pride is invisible behind the quiet humility of a man who doesn't see himself as anything but just another guy doing a job.

As a young man working in a firearms store, he heard stories of the Marines and their exploits from the store owner, Johnny Trailer. "I was working for minimum wage and going nowhere. I'd hear these stories all the time and said to myself , 'I should be living those stories not listening to them.' So I enlisted," the Mobile, Ala. native said.

At the recruiting station in 1983, he saw a poster of some Marines covered in camouflage paint, riding a Zodiac raiding craft and knew then what he wanted to do, he said. The recruiter informed him that to be in Recon, he had to be infantry first. Morrison signed the dotted line to become an 0311, basic rifleman.

Following his graduation from boot camp at Parris Island and Infantry Training School in Camp Lejeune, Morrison was sent to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii to serve with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines.

After completing his first deployment, he had his chance to take the next step and enter the reconnaissance field. "Alpha Company, 3rd Recon had a four-day screening in the Philippines. They thrashed us. It was the only time during my career that I've ever fallen out of a run or been a heat casualty. It took me to a higher level," he said.

The three years he initially spent in 3rd Recon would prepare him to take the final step to Force Recon. "It's a natural progression. Eventually you just need to go to the next level."

Morrison spent the next six years serving in 2nd Force Recon Co. in Camp Lejeune before taking on a B Billet as a Marine Security Guard where he would learn some valuable leadership lessons. "Leading recon Marines is easy. Everyone is a volunteer and usually pretty experienced. In MSG, you have to work with all different types. It takes work."

After serving in Rangoon, Burma and The Hague, Netherlands, he returned to the U.S. in 1996 to serve as a platoon sergeant for 1st Marine Division's Recon Co. here. A year later, when a spot opened, he rejoined the Force Recon community as a team leader with 1st Force Recon Co.
His success continued when he was named Team Leader of the Year 1997, an award he received with the same humility displayed during all his endeavors, giving all the credit to his team members. "I came in wanting the best team in Force Recon. People could tell we put just a little more into it than the rest."

One of Morrison's greatest challenges came not from any Marine Corps training, but from Army Ranger school. "They get you to a point where you don't know your own name," he said, slightly blushing as he recounts the tale.

"After one patrol where I had been a patrol leader, I hallucinated. When you're the patrol leader, you get such a big adrenaline rush. We were on our way back after the patrol, just an administrative march, and I came down hard. I saw a chow truck on the side of the road. There was a beautiful woman there serving food, and she asked who was the leader of these Rangers. I said I was and started to go over for something to eat," he explained, as his embarrassment becomes more apparent.
"As I was walking over, a friend asked me where I was going... so I told him. He told me there was nothing there and when I turned back around, it was gone."

Even after finishing a tale and listening to people get a laugh at his expense, he shows not even the slightest sign of annoyance. He has an the aura of a Zen master. Peaceful. Calm. Almost serene. His calm blue eyes don't have the slightest hint of malice.

With nearly 16 years in the Corps, Morrison has no plans to get out soon. "I'd like to stay in least 20 years, but when I do get out I'd like to travel more. I'd like to be a tourist and live the Discovery Channel," the 36-year-old bachelor said.

For Marines wishing to follow his path in to the Recon field, Morrison said that one of the most important attributes to have is determination." You have to be determined to succeed and at times your determination has to be fierce. It's what we used to call Recon Mental Toughness."
Although he seems at peace, he won't deny he'd like a little action. Having been on active duty during the Gulf War and Somalia and not deployed to either because of other operational commitments, he is more than a little anxious. "It's like continually preparing for a football game, but not knowing when you're getting on the field."

Morrison may have his wish fulfilled when he deploys to the tip of the spear with the 13th MEU again in early December.