Recent Grad Injured By Bomb in Iraq

As the semester winds down and students worry about their final papers, the war in Iraq may seem like a distant concern. But for Second Lieutenant George Morris ’04, whose leg was injured a few weeks ago while serving a tour of duty in Iraq, the war is a daily reality.

Morris, who was a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps as an undergraduate in Cabot House, arrived in Iraq in late September and led an infantry platoon of about 30 soldiers that patrolled the streets looking for bombs and suspicious activity.

Two weeks ago, during a routine day of driving his Humvee patrolling the streets, Morris’ vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, according to his friend and classmate, Second Lieutenant James S. Foreman ’04.

Morris, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, was initially flown to a hospital in a Green Zone in Baghdad, he said. He was then flown to a hospital in Germany and finally to the U.S., where he arrived at what he considers home—the base of the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Ky.

Morris said he is now undergoing physical therapy in order to rebuild the muscle in his leg.

“I hope to be back up and running within three months, but it all depends on how long it takes for my leg to heal,” he said.

Major J. Frank Garcia, an officer in the Army’s Public Affairs Office, said the incident is “under investigation” and declined to comment further.

Foreman said that this kind of attack is “highly unfortunate but extremely routine.”

He explained that an average of 250 such attacks—involving an Improvised Explosive Device—occur each day, killing about two American soldiers. The enemy can use any unexploded ammunition, attach it to an everyday device like a cellphone or washing machine, and hide it in the road, he said.

“Pretty soon it’s discouraging. Everyone knows someone who has been killed,” Foreman said. “It’s part of the duty and you hope it doesn’t happen to you.”

Brandon M. Trama ’06, a ROTC member and close friend of Morris who “looked up to him tremendously,” said Morris’ injury has not discouraged him from army service.

“It strengthens my resolve to do my job because a comrade and a friend was hurt in combat,” Trama said.

Before Morris served in Iraq, he enrolled in the Army’s Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School in Fort Benning, Ga. Morris completed his training as a second lieutenant in May 2005 and in June he reported to the Second Battalion of the 502nd Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division.

Morris said his 30-person platoon aimed to provide security for Iraq’s fledgling democracy.

Although “the large majority of Iraqis in our sector were grateful for the security that the coalition forces provided, they look forward to the day when they can provide their own security,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are individuals who do not want the process to unfold and it’s our job to find them.”

Morris remains hopeful about the situation in Iraq despite his injury.

“As we are seeing today, Iraqis want the system to work—they have been out in mass to vote for a new government,” he said. “Iraqis have already started to defend themselves.”

He added that several soldiers who have served in his platoon and helped train the new Iraqi army “have been pretty impressed with the progress made since we got there.”

“It takes time to train and equip an army,” he said.

Morris said he has not yet decided if he will make the military his career, but he feels a duty to help in improving Iraq.

“Every day we try to make our sector a little better,” he said. “I want to get back to my platoon—they are an amazing group of individuals and it is an honor to lead them.”

Morris said his injured leg reemphasized for him “the seriousness of our profession.”

“If nothing else, it showed that I still have a job to do,” he said.

—Staff writer Shifra B. Mincer can be reached at smincer@fas.harvard.edu.