Roger Morrissey
Roger Morrissey was the first child born to Rob and Agnes Morrrissey. He was raised in Neola, IA. He had one sister (Jan) and six brothers (Kevin, Tom, John, Jim, Jerry, and Dan). Roger left home when he was 14 years old to attend high school at a Catholic seminary in Kirkwood, MO, run by the Redemptorist Fathers. He left the seminary in 1962 and returned to Omaha, NE where his family had recently moved.
Roger attended Creighton University and he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. He participated in the University’s ROTC program and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in 1967. The Vietnam War was going on and he thought that serving his country was the right thing to do.
Lieutenant Morrissey began active duty by attending Officer Basic Training at Fort Gordon, GA and Fort Bragg, NC. A year later, August 1968, he landed at Bien Hoa, Vietnam. He remembers the copilot of the civilian aircraft saying, “Gentlemen, we ask that you deplane as quickly and orderly as possible. We will only be on the ground for enough time to refuel and to board returning soldiers.” It was during the Tet Offensive (Phase 3) and the air base had recently taken some mortar and rocket rounds.
His first Vietnam assignment was on a small airfield about 15-20 clicks Northwest of Can Tho, near the Mekong River. There he commanded a 97-man platoon; two detachments of his platoon were on the Phu Quoc Island in the Gulf of Thailand. One supported the Air Force (Duong Dong) and the other the Navy (An Thoi). Roger talked about his first night in combat. Viet Cong sappers had infiltrated the airfield, killing 7 American soldiers and damaging several helicopters. He said he could still “hear the explosions, the small arms fire… see the flares, the chaos… and smell the explosives” of that night.
After 6 months, Roger transferred to the First Air Cavalry Division at Phuoc Vinh to be with his brother, Kevin, who was an Army Intelligence officer there. Phuoc Vinh was right on the Cambodian border and was an active combat zone. He was assigned to the Headquarters Company as a Public Information Officer (PAO). His duties included taking the press (ABC, NBC, Time and Newsweek magazines, and other dignitaries) into the field to film and report the war.
Roger was proud of his military service and proud to have served alongside his brother during a time of war. He was awarded medals for his service, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal.
Returning to civilian life, he worked for the City of Omaha under 5 different mayors, started his own real estate appraisal company, was elected to public office and was an adjunct college professor. He married Cindy and they had 4 children (Laurel, Robbie, Adam, and Ben).
His faith, family, and friends were always the most important parts of his life
