Morrison's promotion a family affair. Ceremony celebrates new new-star general

Sierra Vista Herald ^ | Bill Hess

[SandRat]

FORT HUACHUCA — About four months ago John B. Morrison Jr., arrived on this southern Arizona Army post wearing the one-star of a brigadier general.

Monday morning he was stripped of his one star and it was replaced by the two-stars of a major general, the authorized rank for the leader of the Army’s Network Enterprise Technology Command on the fort.

Of Morrison, Lt. Gen. Edward C. Cardon, said to a person that much is given, ”much is expected.” Cardon added Morrison’s promotion falls into the giving and expecting categories.

“I fully expect to see this from this leader,” said Cardon, who heads the Army Cyber Command and Second Army. Morrison is his deputy commander in Second Army.

The strength of the Army is its families, Cardon said, and when it comes to Morrison he has a supportive family — his wife Ann and their four daughters, Chris, Colleen, Kate and Kelly — of whom only Colleen was unable to attend the ceremony.

Also in attendance was Morrison’s sister, Meghan Sisler, of whom he said she is the best sister he ever had, but left unsaid, she is his only sister.

Morrison drew a laugh from the audience when he also noted the number of women in his life, “I am comfortable with the color pink.”

Morrison’s wife even got in a one-liner when his cover was changed to one with a two-star insignia and she told the audience “to cover your eyes,” while the old cover was removed as her husband is bald and she feigned concern the morning sun bouncing off it would blind the crowd.

The light-hearted happiness of the event did not overshadow the seriousness of the ceremony.

The traditional military aspects of the morning ceremony were included, including Morrison hearing for the first time, his major general honors, consisting of two ruffles and flourishes and General’s March. There was also the firing of a 13-cannon salute, as Cardon relinquished honors to himself instead giving them to “the Army’s newest major general.”

And as the NETCOM commander, Cardon said of Morrison he and his command are the baseline for Army communications, and under the new major general, stunning successes will be following the command.

And, the support of those assigned to Fort Huachcua is as important as well as is the off-post community, Cardon said.

“Morrison is the leader and this is the place,” Cardon said.

Morrison said he is humbled by the trust the Army has in him, and during his solider career — which began in 1986 — it was a family event as “we began the journey together,” as he noted his family is “wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.”

And, it is all of the men and women in NETCOM who “are making a difference,” he said, adding the command has a continuing important mission to accomplish for the Army.

That the fort and Sierra Vista communities have reached out in welcome, is an added plus to the Morrisons, he said.

The official part of the ceremony ended with the two generals facing each other as Cardon led Morrison to again pledge to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, something required of those who put on stars.

Cardon told Morrison it will be his last promotion to a general officer’s rank, but quickly added if he becomes a lieutenant general or a four-star general they will be by appointments.

Orders will not say promoted to the rank, but instead the document will note a person is appointed to the rank, Cardon said.

In a little more than a half hour, Morrison went from brigadier general to major general — the accoutrements of his new rank seeing an added star to his uniform and the unveiling of his personal two-star flag.

Earlier, Morrison had used the word humble to describe Monday morning’s event when he, speaking for himself, and his family, said: “We are so humble to be part of this.”

[SandRat]

PHOTOs

[Don Corleone]

Luckily this did not conflict with a scheduled Obama Tee time.

[SandRat]

Luckily this did not conflict with a scheduled Obama/Hagel RIF.