Rockwall County Republican Party celebrates Reagan Day 2017

Rockwall County Republican Party celebrates Reagan Day 2017

(ROCKWALL, TX – March 1, 2017) The Reagan Day 2017 celebration on Feb. 25 saw state and county officials of the Rockwall County GOP pack the Hidden Creek Events Center for food, drink, live and silent auction, and to hear the miraculous story of a wounded veteran.

The 200+ folks in attendance welcomed retired USAF Staff Sergeant Jason Morgan as the keynote speaker of the event, along with Morgan’s service dog, Rue. Morgan – a Dallas native – enlisted into the US Air Force in 1989 and trained to become a combat weatherman. The combat weather team is a small elite unit in the Air Force Special Operations Command that provide meteorological and oceanographic intelligence information in and for the Army’s Special Operations.

Air Force Staff Sergeant (ret) Jason Morgan and his service dog Rue

In the year 1999, the U.S.-led War On Drugs raged heavily in South America. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC (in Spanish, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) was the largest and most well-funded group of guerrilla movements during this time, and spread through neighboring countries including Ecuador. The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command covertly deployed soldiers into the Amazon Rainforest to train Ecuadorians how to defend themselves against the growing FARC threat. Staff Sergeant Morgan was just days away from the end of his deployment when a request came through for volunteers to support some supply vehicles on an eight-hour journey on the mountainous roads to the capital of Quito. Morgan volunteered to undertake this journey, one which would change his life forever.

During the mission, Morgan’s vehicle ended up getting separated from the group, and was ambushed by a FARC vehicle. In an attempt to escape the ambush, the driver lost control of the vehicle and sent it flipping down a ravine. Morgan was thrown from the vehicle and it tumbled down the hill it rolled over him, crushing his spine.

“To make it even worse, it pushed me face down in the water so that I wasn’t able to breathe,” Morgan said. “My back was crushed, I had a collapsed lung, and I was face down in water. I was probably 1,200 feet from where our vehicle ended up.”

Morgan might’ve drowned had it not been for an American missionary who happened to drive by and see the wreckage at the bottom of the hill. As he made his way down, he almost tripped over Morgan lying face down in the water. Otherwise, he might not have seen him.

Aside from the devastating injury to his spine, Morgan had a collapsed lung with the other lung about 80 percent full of water by the time he arrived at the hospital. He slipped into a coma that lasted nearly two months and when he woke up, the doctor told him he was very lucky to be alive but that he’d never walk again.

After multiple surgeries and three and a half years of hospitalization, Morgan was finally able to return home, only to find that his wife had left him and his three young boys. It was a dark time for Morgan, having to adjust to his injuries and raise three boys almost entirely by himself.

But in 2010, Morgan found the light again when Napal, a black Labrador Retriever service dog from Canine Companions for Independence, came into his life.

Morgan is the author of “A Dog Called Hope: A Wounded Warrior and the Service Dog Who Saved Him.” The memoir tells of how Napal aided Morgan in adjusting to life in a wheelchair, while helping him heal both physically and emotionally. After Napal passed away, Morgan was given a new dog, another black Labrador Retriever named Rue.

“These dogs are amazing! They can turn a light switch on and off, get my clothes out of the dryer and give them to me, get me out of my wheelchair or off the floor. The biggest thing I’ve learned from my dogs is that there’s no one more qualified to talk about service than my dogs Napal and Rue. It’s what they were bred to do,” Morgan said.

Although he recently lost his leg due to a bone infection, Morgan participates in a variety of sports including water and snow skiing, and scuba diving with his three sons. He has won medals in the Warrior Games Military Paralympics, competed in the Marine Corp Marathon pushing his racing wheelchair over 25 miles.

“His story and message are incredible,” said Congressman John Ratcliffe. “They are, and should be, an enduring reminder to all of us about the incredible power of the human spirit.”

Kay McDaniel (left) and Laverne Kennimer
Laverne Kennimer (left) and Pamela Benedetto

Three Republican Party members were also recognized with during the event. Rockwall County Republican Party President Laverne Kennimer presented retired County District Clerk Kay McDaniel an award for her outstanding service to the Rockwall County Republican Party and to the community. Pamela Benedetto received the Sparks Award recognizing a leading Republican Party volunteer, and Melba Jeffus was presented the Ralph Hall Chairman’s Award, a lifetime achievement award recognizing individual leadership, courage, vision and outstanding contribution to the Rockwall County Republican Party.

Jeffus addressed the party after accepting the honor with an optimistic outlook on President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

“I think the next four years are going to be a challenge, and I pray every day multiple times for the safety of our president and vice president,” Jeffus said. “I urge you to join me in praying for them, because I think they can do some amazing things in this country as they move us into a restoration period and they ‘Make America Great Again.’ And I can hardly wait!”

Melba Jeffus (left) and Laverne Kennimer

A special thanks to the sponsors of Reagan Day 2017:

Fifth District Court of Appeals
Honda Cars of Rockwall
United States Congressman John and Michelle Ratcliffe
Texas State Senator Bob and Kay Hall
Texas State Representative Justin and Neely Holland
Rockwall County Republican Men
Rockwall County Republican Women
Rockwall County GOP Chairwoman Laverne and Dalton Kennimer/Melba and Stan Jeffus
Tim and Alison Hartley/Jason Gorsuch – Rivershore Resources
John and Lisa Browning
Keith and Joani Barrett
Dr. John and Debra Harper
Joe and Kathi Fox
Farmers Agent Brady Hill/Blake Buchanan – Markerspace
Tom and Patti Muggeo/John and Frances White – Rockwall Controls
Richard Dobson – First Floors Carpet One
Jeff and Toni Felts – MagnaPro Property Services

Story by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News. Photos by Richard Redig, Blue Ribbon News.