Community pauses to honor fallen sergeant

Staff Sgt. Alexandria Mae Morrow was known by those who knew her best as a super positive individual who earned the respect and admiration of her peers and her teachers. When she arrived at Mountain Home Air Force Base in early 2010, she quickly earned a reputation as a determined, amazing individual with a personal passion and dedication to duty.

On Thursday, her colleagues and friends came together to honor Morrow's memory during a memorial service at a base in Southwest Asia. She was killed March 22 while performing maintenance duties in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

She leaves behind her husband and their two daughters. Military officials are continuing this week to investigate the cause of the accident.

A 2009 graduate from Dansille High School in Dansville, N.Y., she was assigned to the 366th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at the local Air Force base. For the past seven years, she served as weapons load crew chief who touched the lives of many of her fellow airmen.

"Those who knew her valued her love of life and art, her leadership, her skills and her passion," said Col. Jefferson O'Donnell, 366th Fighter Wing commander. "Her actions and contributions as a weapons loader just in five months overseas, let alone seven years as a Gunfighter, have set records for weapons employment in combat.

"We will dutifully continue to perform the mission while we mourn her loss," the colonel added. "In doing so, we honor her for making the greatest sacrifice."

"Sergeant Morrow was well respected by her fellow airmen, and was recognized frequently for her kindness and strong commitment to service," said Senator Mike Crapo. "The memory of her legacy will carry with it the honor she and so many other brave Americans have earned in defending our freedoms at home and abroad. I offer my deepest condolences to her family, friends and loved ones."

"The city of Mountain Home would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, brothers and sisters in arms that served with Sergeant Morrow," said Mayor Rich Sykes. "Mountain Home grieves alongside Mountain Home Air Force Base for the loss of this highly esteemed member of the Gunfighter and, by extension, the Mountain Home family."

"We mourn for Alexandria Mae Morrow because she was one of the kindest people many of us have ever known," said Lt. Col. Paul Tower, 332nd Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron commander. "She was a loving wife to her husband, an amazing mother to her children and our fellow warrior and friend -- a friend who could be trusted in the toughest of times."

Morrow's caring ways earned her the nickname 'Mother Alex' not only amongst her immediate teammates, but from those she encountered on the flightline and also worked with at Mountain Home Air Force Base.

She was not just an amazing person but also an amazing airman, said Master Sgt. Jeffrey Passut, 332nd EMXS weapons section chief. If someone wanted something done right, they knew Morrow was the person for the job.

"She rolled into the weapons section office at Mountain Home Air Force Base on a Wednesday in early 2010 and said, 'Hi, I'm Airman Gleason; what do I need to do," Passut said. "Her potential progressed, and as she became a senior airman, we had a need for team chiefs.

"Due to her dedication and drive, she ended up becoming the first senior airman team chief in the 389th Aircraft Maintenance Unit's history," the sergeant added.

While the role of a team chief is normally held by a noncommissioned officer, "she was our first pick to lead that crew," Passut said.

Her proficiency and passion for duty prompted her supervisors to select her specifically to brief the commander of U.S. Central Command on weapons loading operations during his visit to the unit's deployed location.

Her passion and love of everything she did was infectious and evident by those who came in contact with her, according to others in the squadron.

"How do we measure the impact someone's love has on others?" asked Capt. Wesley Sheppard, expeditionary aircraft maintenance unit officer in charge. "I realized the best measure was in the amount of love our team felt for her.

"We can see how much she loved others by the emotions, the looks on everyone's faces as we processed that we lost the mom of the flightline," the captain added. "We could see it by the tears that rolled down our faces and by the tight hugs we gave each other."

Morrow sacrificed her life defending her country in addition to millions of people, including the defenseless civilians caught in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Syria, Sheppard said.

"She died protecting innocent women, children, the old and young, and people of every race and religion ... If that's not love, I don't know what is."

Col. Clinton Eichelberger, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander, helped put Morrow's legacy into perspective as he spoke to an audience of her wing teammates.

"What she led every day is now going down in history books," the colonel said. "What you do every day is going down in history books."

His words seemed to resonate through room packed full of deployed service members, each of whom make a difference each day in their ongoing fight to defeat terrorists, like ISIS, who mean the world harm.

"Everybody here is fighting because the freedoms we have and the values we are promoting are not free," Eichelberger said. "Everybody here is sacrificing, your families back home are sacrificing, and every once in a while we have a sacrifice that goes above and beyond.

"These are the moments that we cannot forget because the sacrifice of Sergeant Morrow, the sacrifice of bringing these freedoms and values to our families back home, is one thing I will never forget," the colonel added.

Following news of Morrow's death, members of the Dansville Central School District in her hometown paused to mourn. On Saturday, the community gathered during a memorial service.

In a statement released by school district superintendent Paul Alioto, the sergeant was remembered by classmates as "super-positive, loved by all and a person who would help anyone." She was highly regarded by teachers who considered her a bright, creative and friendly student with tremendous potential to pursue any interest and career.

She was also remembered by school district officials as a high achiever who loved art and established strong relationships with her teachers and classmates. Morrow had aspired to become an art teacher following her military career.

Her love of art remains on display in the main office of the high school where she graduated seven years ago.

"In Dansville we honor all service members in life and in death," Alioto said. "Alex took the military oath and pledged her life to defend us and the United States.

"We feel her loss acutely because Alex was such a bright light and she is one of our own," Alioto added. "We are here to support her family and friends now and always."

Last week, a new flag flew at half staff in front of her high school in honor of her "indelible spirit."

A GoFundMe site was established late last week to help the family meet their immediate needs. As of Tuesday, that effort had already raised more than $39,000. People can continue to contribute to that cause by going online to https://www.gofundme.com/morrow-family-assistance-fund.