Moffitt Thanks Veterans for Their Service
On Monday, Nov. 11, Moffitt Cancer Center held the eighth annual Veterans Day Ceremony honoring team members and patients who have sacrificed for our country. The ceremony included the presentation of the colors by the University of South Florida Air Force ROTC Color Guard and the Bourbon Brothers Quartet performing the National Anthem. Retired colonel and Moffitt Chaplin, Hank Foshee, led the invocation. Mike Riley, procurement analyst and retired U.S. Air Force major, served as the master of ceremonies for the event.
The ceremony featured remarks from Retired Air Force Major Barney Morris, a prostate cancer survivor and Moffitt advocate. As a communications officer, Morris was responsible for ensuring the communications systems, including the direct connections to all U.S. missile sites and active and reserve Air Force bases, were operational during peace and wartime. During his combined 20-year tenure in the Air Force, California Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, Morris achieved the rank of major, receiving many commendations and medals.
Toward the end of his military career, Morris found himself in a different kind of battle. At the age of 41 during a routine medical exam, he first learned that he had an elevated prostate-specific antigen level. Further testing led to his prostate cancer diagnosis in 2004. After surgery, Morris was in remission until a recurrence in 2006, when he had radiation. In September, Morris was diagnosed with plasmacytoma, a rare form of blood cancer. He’s continuing treatment at Moffitt, and remains at the forefront of the fight to reduce disparities and inequities in cancer treatment.
Morris is the chair of the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network Patient Advisory Council and is an active member of Moffitt’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, Community Advisory Board and the Community Outreach, Engagement and Equity Committee. Morris is also president emeritus and chair of the Health and Wellness Committee for 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay and an ambassador for the Prostate Health Education Network. Chief Pathology Officer James Pepoon presented Morris with a plaque in appreciation for his service.
Moffitt’s Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer Kelley Gonzalvo also spoke at the ceremony, sharing her experiences as a lieutenant junior grade in the Navy Reserve.
Click here to view the ceremony.
