Army Spc. Donald S. Morrison

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Donald S. Morrison, 23, of Cincinnati, Ohio

Spc. Morrison was assigned to 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 26, 2010 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his military vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Sgt. Mark A. Simpson.

BLUE ASH – A 23-year-old man who joined the military two years ago to honor a fallen friend died Friday in Afghanistan, according to officials at Sycamore Community Schools.

U.S. Army Spc. Scott Morrison, a 2005 graduate of Sycamore High School, joined the Army after his friend, Army Spc. Branden Haunert, was killed in Iraq in May 2008, according to Sycamore schools spokeswoman Erika Daggett.

Morrison is the son of Blue Ash firefighter Donald Morrison, fire Lt. Lou Ernstes said Monday.

The young man’s family is at Dover Air Force Base waiting to bring his body home, Daggett said. She said the family has requested privacy as they deal with his death. No further statements will be released.

The circumstances leading up to his death have not been released by the military.

Meredith Post graduated with Morrison in 2005. She is Sycamore’s assistant lacrosse coach.

“He didn’t play a sport, but he was one of the most avid fans of Sycamore athletics,” she recalled. “He never seemed to miss a basketball, football or soccer game … He was a happy guy who put his friends first and always made everyone around him laugh.”

Morrison attended the district from kindergarten until graduation and prior to attending the high school was student at Maple Dale Elementary School, Daggett said.

Flags are flying at half-staff at the fire department and at Sycamore High School.

A moment of silence will be observed in his honor Tuesday at Sycamore High School and again at the homecoming football game Friday night against Middletown High School, Daggett said.

Prior to joining the military, Morrison spent some time working at the Blue Ash Recreation Center, Daggett said.

Morrison is the fifth Sycamore High School graduate to die serving in military operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, Daggett said. His name will be added to a memorial in the school’s entrance way created to honor those who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces.

Paul Payne, the school resource officer, remembered Morrison on Monday as a student who never caused any trouble.

"If I didn't know your name in school, that was good," Payne said. "And that's Scott. Scott was a good kid. All the kids loved him, hung around with him."

Before joining the Army, Morrison worked with his mother at the Blue Ash Recreation Center as a fitness coordinator.

"(He) enjoyed life. He laughed a lot," said recreation leader Brian Kruse. "He was a good person. He had a lot of friends."

Staff members and family friends spent their Monday working in shifts to make enough yellow ribbons to honor Morrison when his body returns home to Blue Ash.

"This is just therapeutic, to be able to be with other people who knew him and loved him just as much as I do," said family friend Barb Griffin.

SPC Donald Scott Morrison
by 20th Engineer Battalion on Monday, September 27, 2010 at 11:21am

SPC Donald "Scott" Morrison was born on October 27, 1986. He grew up in Cincinnati, OH, graduating from Sycamore High School. He enlisted in the Army as a combat engineer in October of 2008 and attended Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. He was then assigned to the 584th Mobility Augmentation Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood, TX.

In his spare time, he was a sports fanatic who loved to play football, softball, and soccer. He was an avid Bengals fan, and he followed professional Soccer Religiously. He loved his home state and maintained close contact with his family and many friends back home.

He was an extremely valuable and versatile Soldier. He was an accomplished vehicle operator, gunner, and sapper with the 584th. He was more than just a good Soldier to members of his unit; he was a true friend. He was always there to help anyone with their problems, personal or professional. He took pride in his team, and truly believed in his mission. He died on September 26, 2010, when his patrol struck an IED.

His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.

He is survived by his parents, Donald Sr. and Susan Morrison, his brother Gary, and his sister Katie.

Army Spc. Donald S. Morrison was killed in action on 9/26/10.