Upper Saddle River, N.J.—Sergeant Major Thomas M. Morrissey (USA Ret.), vice president of sales at Hunter Douglas, was honored on Friday, July 22 at The Medal of Honor Gala: In the Company of Heroes event hosted by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation at The Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington, Ill. He received The Courageous Spirit Award on behalf of all wounded warriors. Morrissey joined Captain James A. Lovell, Jr. (USN Ret.), Commander of the Apollo XIII Mission, as one of two recipients of awards at the event.
A wounded veteran himself, Morrissey has worked tirelessly for wounded warriors with the Wounded Warrior Care Project in Augusta, Ga., whose mission is to organize and promote a community-based Wounded Warrior Center of Excellence.
Morrissey had three tours of duty in Afghanistan with the Illinois National Guard and was first deployed there in the fall of 2002. He returned from that first assignment in early 2004 and was back at work at Hunter Douglas for six months before he was called for his second deployment. His third deployment immediately followed the second. In 2006, while involved in combat operations in southern Afghanistan, he was ambushed and shot eight times with an AK-47 rifle. Hit in both legs, both arms and twice in the chest and on his way to possibly losing a limb, Morrissey spent three years in recovery, first at the Fort Gordon’s Eisenhower Army Medical Center and later at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center’s Active Duty Rehab Unit in Augusta, Ga. This unit is an intensive, one-of-a-kind facility that helps wounded soldiers get back on their feet.
Morrissey survived without losing a limb and is now back working full time at Hunter Douglas, where he heads the Key Accounts Sales Group for the company. During and after his recovery Morrissey has given back, helping younger soldiers and Marines, many with missing limbs, as they face every day the physical and emotional pain of long-term therapy. In April, Morrissey organized an appearance by CSI: NY actor Gary Sinise, who supports troops overseas and stateside through the USO program as well as personal initiatives, at an Augusta fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Care Project.
“We are enormously proud of Tom Morrissey and what he has done for our country and for those injured in the line of duty,” said Marv Hopkins, president and CEO of Hunter Douglas, Inc. He is richly deserving of The Courageous Spirit Award.”
For more information, visit hunterdouglas.com or contact Hunter Douglas at 800.274.2985.