Major Matthew H. Morrow

Three Activities You Can Do to Honor Veterans

Veteran Major Morrow is a decorated USAF officer who has received a number of military honors . During his service in 1994, he became an officer for the Aeronautical Systems Center. One of Major Morrow’s interests is honoring his fellow veterans.

You can honor veterans on Veterans day or at any other time of the year. There are numerous activities you can engage in to thank former service personnel, including the following.

Yardwork
Some veterans have trouble doing their yardwork and would appreciate it if someone volunteered to help. You can contact the Red Cross and get information on locating veterans in your area. Going through the list, you can ask if they need help and organize a group of volunteers to aid in the work.

Show appreciation through thank you cards
Veterans protected the country during their service, and thank you cards can mean a lot to them. Compiling the addresses of veterans around you and sending them a thank you card for their service can go a long way.

Donations
Donating to nonprofit organizations that aid veterans is another way to honor them. Collectively it can have a tremendous impact, especially to veterans living with physical challenges.

Hillsboro, Ohio’s Memorial Day Ceremony

Serving in the United States Air Force for 20 years, Major M.H. Morrow saw multiple combat tours and won many awards. As a current member of the Highland County Veterans Honor Guard (HCVHG), Major Morrow attends events such as the annual Memorial Day ceremony in Hillsboro, Ohio, where, as keynote speaker for the 2021 ceremony, he explained the significance of the holiday and similar ones throughout the year.

Hillsboro’s ceremony honors veterans who sacrificed their lives for their country and educates the public on the history of the holiday. Major Morrow spoke of the history of Memorial Day originating out of the Civil War as Decoration Day and explained customs sssociated with it such as lowering the American flag to half staff and Memorial Day being the only half staff circumstance in which the flag is half staff at sunrise and the flag goes to full staff briskly at noon. He also shared excerpts from literature about Memorial Day by historical veterans. Local musicians performed songs related to each of America’s military branches.

The emcee highlights the accomplishments of chosen veterans, provides context for the ear zone they fought in, and encourages attending veterans not recognized by name to come forward so they may be honored. Additionally, volunteers present veterans with commemorative coins from the organization. Hillsboro’s ceremony concludes with the three-volleys of rifles, followed by the playing of Taps.

Ohio’s Highland County Veterans Honor Guard

Between 1987 and 2007, Major Morrow served on acyive duty in the United States Air Force and received many awards. After he left active military service, Major Morrow devoted his energy to the Ohio-based nonprofit Highland County Veterans Honor Guard (HCVHG).

Founded in 1992, the HCVHG supports the local community for many civic events, one of which it primarily attends are funerals for veterans, performing military honors associated with the death of a service member. Military honors are the firing of 3 volleys of rifles, playing of Taps and folding of the flag. Its members strive to give honor and respect to a fellow service members who have passed on, honoring their sacrifices for the behalf of the veteran’s loved ones. The organization performs these duties for both public and private funerals, in and around Highland County.

The HCVHG also raises awareness of military service members on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day and year-round via speaking engagements at local schools, senior centers, and other organizations, venues, and events. It operates solely through donations, whether by members paying for expenses out of pocket, individual donations, or grants from charitable companies, benefactors and donors. The group has over 30 members as of the third quarter of 2022 and attends around 80 or more events annually.

How the Honor Guard Honors Veterans in Ohio

A former civil engineer and military veteran, Major Morrow served in the United States Air Force from 1987 to 2007, where he served in numerous roles and accrued a long list of accomplishments. Active in volunteer work with veteran services, Major Morrow has membership with numerous organizations, including the Highland County Honor Guard.

The Highland County Honor Guard is committed to honoring living veterans and deceased veterans by participating in over 80 events in Ohio. Approximately 8 percent of the people in Ohio are veterans who fought for the freedom of the United States. According to Major Morrow, the members of the Honor Guard (roughly 50) ceaselessly attend events annually to pay military honors to veterans. Military funeral honors consists of the three-volley rifle fire followed by the playing of taps and the folding of the flag.

The Highland County Honor Guard also participates in flag postings, charity events, and ceremonies attending various events on behalf of the 848,000 veterans in Ohio. Some of the programs attended are held at civic events, community centers, assisted living centers, and schools.

Adaptive Skiing Benefits, Practice, and Equipment

A New Vienna, Ohio resident, Major Morrow graduated from the USAF Air Command and Staff College and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. Major Morrow is a career United States Air Force officer, who now likes to practice adaptive skiing in his free time.

Adaptive skiing is an adaptive sport for those with challenged abilities and it is a fast growing sport for the challenged and disabled. Adaptive sports are similar to normal sports but have specialized pieces of equipment or assistance that make the activity feasible for people with disabilities. Adaptive skiing is an alternative to traditional skiing for people with disabilities and requires special equipment or assistance. Adaptive sports can be recreational and competitive. People that practice adaptive skiing can even go beyond just a recreational activity as it is a part of the Paralympics, and people can participate in international competitions. Major Morrow enjoys adaptive skiing for recreation, health as a sport activity as well as the personal challenge of being independent and advanced skilled in a sport not normally otherwise without adaptive equipment.

Adaptive skiing has several benefits for people with disabilities and represents a good cardiovascular and physical workout of the core. It improves skills such as balance and coordination of the body. The special equipment used by Major Morrow for skiing are ski bikes. The skibike is designed so that a person sits on it similar to a bicycle using their balance and muscle control leaning to slide, turn and stop with the edges of the skis no different than parallel skiing or snowboarding.

Amputee Coalition Educates About Diabetes and Preventable Amputation

Major Morrow is a decorated USAF veteran who contributes to the Wounded Warrior Project and is the only amputee adaptive ski biker so far to by himself without assistance ski Longshot run at Snowmass, one of the United States’ longest single ski runs. As well as these contributions, Major Morrow has donated to the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA).

The mission of the ACA is to help people affected by limb loss to fulfill their full potential and lead fulfilling lives.: Its main efforts go into education, advocacy, support, and limb loss prevention. Although Major Morrow’s service related amputation was not prevetalb)e, The ACA estimates that 60 percent of amputations are preventable and emphasizes that diabetes-related amputations are preventable if people are educated on the topic. Regrdless of amputation cause such as trauma, disease, congenital, etc, an amputeecn still live life to the fullest such as Major Morrow.

People with diabetes are 15 times more likely to require an amputation of an extremity, usually a foot. Doctors recommend that patients with diabetes should conduct regular foot examinations along with acquiring basic education on foot health. Such practices can help avoid serious complications such as a loss of circulation, neuropathy (nerve damage in the extremities), and other painful, debilitating issues that can lead to an amputation being medically necessary.

A Brief Overview of the Operation Round Up Program

Retired from active duty in the United States Air Force, Major Morrow received 31 ribbons, 21 of which are medals, over his career. Other honors include 15 personal decorations and two joint Meritorious Unit awards. Major Morrow maintains membership with several veterans’ organizations, including the Highland County Honor Guard in Ohio. In 2020, the Honor Guard received a $10,000 Operation Round Up grant to purchase a new van to aid in their services.

Started by Palmetto Electric in South Carolina in 1989, Operation Round Up is a community program. In 2021, many electric company cooperatives have adopted the program across the United States. Participating members round up their electricity bills to the nearest dollar. For example, an electric bill of $7.60 rounds up to $8.00. The $0.40 is tax-deductible and goes to the program kitty. Some cooperatives automatically enroll the members into the program, you can opt-out any time.

All Operation Round Up programs have a board of directors, independent from the official company board, to vet, select beneficiaries, and distribute funds. The funds assist qualifying non-profit organizations involved in education, disaster relief, community service, and economic development.

Benefits of Adaptive Sports

During his 20 years in the United States Air Force, Major Morrow earned 31 ribbons while undertaking various deployments in conflicts worldwide. In retirement, Major Morrow enjoys traveling, camping, and volunteering with veterans groups and other organizations. He also participates in events as an adaptive sports athlete.

According to estimates from the American Therapy Association, approximately 56.7 million people in the United States are living with a disability. While those with disabilities may find participating in some physical activities difficult, a variety of benefits can be obtained from involvement in adaptive sports and other recreational programs.

Recent studies involving individuals with various disabilities have shown that adaptive sports and community-based therapeutic recreation can have a positive effect on the overall quality of life. In addition to reducing the risk of health consequences from a sedentary lifestyle, recreational activity can improve mood, social interactions, and life satisfaction.

Recreational programs also assist in community reintegration and may even help individuals with disabilities find employment. More research is needed to understand the full impact of adaptive sports, but the positive association between recreational activity and life improvements is clear.