Van of Valor

By Dr. Kevin Wallace
Van of Valor

PALM BAY, Fla. – The memory of Army Spc. Donald “Scott” Morrison lives on in the quiet, determined voices of his parents, Don and Kelly Morrison. 

In their Florida home, surrounded by mementos of a life cut short, they shared his story not of his death, but of his life — a life of competitiveness, loyalty, and a mischievous grin that earned him the nickname “Sunshine.”

Their interview was part of the Van of Valor mission, a cross-country project led by Dr. Kevin Wallace, a Purple Heart recipient, and his wife, Lauren Wallace, a Harvard history graduate student and anthropologist. 

The couple travels in a converted van to document the stories of Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star families, ensuring the legacies of America’s fallen heroes are preserved.

Scott Morrison was killed on September 26, 2010, on a convoy in southern Afghanistan near Kandahar. But for Don and Kelly, he remains the energetic boy from Blue Ash, Ohio, who lived for baseball, his beloved Cincinnati Bengals, and his friends.

“He was very competitive at any sport. In video games, if he lost, he had to have a rematch right then and there,” Don recalled with a faint smile. That competitive spirit extended to recruiting his stepsister as a “ringer” for co-ed sports teams without telling the opponents.

Scott’s path to service was born from profound loss. After his best friend, Brandon Hunter, was killed in Iraq, Scott felt a calling to complete his friend’s tour.

“Scott came to me… and said that he wanted to join the military to finish out Brandon’s tour for him,” Don said. Despite the dangers of a wartime enlistment, Don told his son, “I was behind him 110 percent.”

The family’s first brush with the fragility of military life came not in a warzone, but at Fort Hood, Texas, when Scott was on base during the 2009 mass shooting at the Readiness Center. Frantic texts and calls were exchanged as the Morrisons relayed news reports to a locked-down Scott.

“That was our first kind of scare,” Kelly said. 

“That was a reality check,” Don added. “You just assumed he was safe, but he’s not as safe as you really would think.”

When Scott returned home on R&R, his family noticed a change. He was more skittish, more aware of his surroundings, and he had decided he would not re-enlist. 

Yet, his innate leadership qualities had blossomed. His fellow soldiers and superiors noted he was a natural, a soldier who could get others to follow him not through orders, but through charisma and genuine care.

“He was easy to talk to,” Kelly said. “If he sensed that you needed to, he could just get you to talk.”

In the early hours of September 26th, the knock on the door came.

“I flat out told them there’s no way, you’ve got the wrong house,” Don said, his voice heavy with the memory. “This is a dream, can you wake me up?”

In the devastating aftermath, the Morrisons found purpose in a singular mission: ensuring Scott would not be forgotten.

“It’s a club that nobody wants to join,” Don said of the Gold Star community. “I just want everybody to remember my son’s name… The only way I can do it and make sure that it is, is for us to continue to say his name.”

They have done just that. They successfully lobbied to have a portion of an Ohio highway designated the Donald Scott Morrison Memorial Highway. 

They also worked with Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient Gunnery Sgt. (retired) Sam Deeds, to design a challenge coin in Scott’s honor. The gold coin, reflecting his “Sunshine” nickname, is etched with symbols of his life: the area code 513, a Purple Heart, and the phrase, “Remembrance is the highest form of honor.”

Lauren Wallace, co-founder of the Van of Valor, often carries Scott’s coin. She recently invoked its message before her local county commissioners, stating, “In the words of a Gold Star family, ‘Remembrance is the highest form of honor.’”

For the Morrisons, patriotism has been redefined through loss.

“When I see that flag… I’m now standing up for my son, for what he did for me,” Don said, his voice firm. “It makes me proud to stand up, and I’m just afraid that one day… I may say something, do something, because everybody doesn’t understand.”

They urge the public to engage with the stories of sacrifice that underpin the nation’s freedom.

“If you don’t know what to say when somebody says… ‘we’re a Gold Star family,’ just to say, ‘tell me something about your hero,’” Kelly said. “You’d probably be surprised at the stories you get. They’re not all gloom and doom… You have some sunshine in your pocket.”

Through the Van of Valor’s mission and the Morrison’s unwavering dedication, the story of SPC Donald “Scott” Morrison — the boy, the soldier, the “Sunshine” — is being shared, ensuring his sacrifice and his spirit remain a living part of the American story.

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About the Van of Valor: Founded by Dr. Kevin and Lauren Wallace, the Van of Valor is a mobile documentary project traveling the United States to record and share the first-hand accounts of Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star families. Their mission is to honor veterans, preserve history, and ensure that the sacrifices of the nation’s heroes are never forgotten.

To read more or to support the Van of Valor’s mission, visit www.HelpVoV.com