Morrissey plans to focus on history and legacy in officer training program
Col. David Morrissey applied for this university’s Air Force ROTC scholarship in 1986 and didn’t get it.
Now, 28 years later, after a storied career, he’s the new commander of that same university program, instilling values in cadets of the ROTC detachment that he has long admired.
“This history of this detachment is very rich and tied with the history of this university,” said Morrissey, 46. “It’s important that [the cadets] gain an appreciation of who has gone before.”
He would like to establish a greater focus on the history and legacy of this university’s Air Force ROTC detachment in the officer training program he directs, said Morrissey, who took over the position in July from retired commander Col. Marilyn Jenkins.
Learning about the esteemed Air Force ROTC graduates of this university, such as George Acree, a 1957 university alumnus who earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses as a fighter pilot in Vietnam, will help cadets hold themselves to a higher standard, he said.
History can teach students how to better move forward and not repeat past mistakes, said Capt. Lucas Matyi, 28, commandant of cadets.
“Any organization needs to know where they came from. They need to learn from the successes and failures of their legacy,” he said.
Morrissey’s own military history also makes him well-equipped to train new officers, especially those interested in flying, said Kenneth Di Giovanni, junior criminology and criminal justice major in the Air Force ROTC program.
“He brings a lot of insight into the pilot career,” Di Giovanni said. “He has a hands-off approach, giving more freedom for cadets to innovate.”
Since he was a young man, Morrissey said he’s been fascinated with flying, and he used to build model airplanes. Inspired in part by the movie Top Gun, but mostly by his grandfather’s service in the U.S. Army during World War II, he decided to join the Air Force, he said.
He earned his wings in 1991 at Williams Air Force Base in Mesa, Arizona, which closed in 1993, and has been flying ever since — doing everything from cargo deliveries to combat flights. He has earned various degrees, held multiple commander positions and led combat missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Flying in combat can be, “a little stressful,” he said, but he would be absolutely willing to do it again. “You have a job to do. You’re aware of the risk, but you have to get the mission done.”
Acting as commander of the Air Force ROTC detachment at this university will be his first time in a while he’s not actively flying and his first time working in a university setting like this one, he said. At this university, his main job will be to foster a strong sense of character and the values of the Air Force in the cadets, he said.
“The focus will always be building leaders of character,” he said. “Being an officer in the Air Force isn’t just about leadership, but mostly about character.”
Morrissey said he hopes to prepare students to for a career of serving a cause greater than themselves by instilling the values of integrity, excellence and selflessness and teaching them about their history. Giving cadets the strength of character they will need to make the right decisions in difficult situations will prepare them for the enormous task that lies ahead, he said.
“The nation, they are entrusting us with this huge responsibility, protecting this document,” he said, picking up a pocket-sized version of the U.S. Constitution off his desk. “When you work hard and live in accordance with our core values, you’re going to be successful.”
