About |
John Morning was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and grew up in nearby Iowa City.
Upon Graduating High School, John enlisted in the United States Army, serving as a Tank Crewman for four years. He served in Germany and in Georgia during his initial time in service.
Following the four years in uniform, John enrolled in the University of Iowa to continue his education. Midway through his Sophomore Year, John was called back into service for our country and deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm where he served in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait. Following his return, John returned to school and was conferred his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa.
John was commissioned as an Officer in the Army and attended his Officer Basic Course training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Following completion of his course (He was finished in the top 10% of his class) he received an assignment to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.
John served in various positions for the next six years, including a Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Aide de Camp, as well as completing the Armor Officer Advanced Course and deploying to Korea for a 12 month tour. John was in Korea during the attacks of 9/11 and made up his mind to return to the states and to a combat division. In August of 2012, John Returned to Fort Hood and reported to the First Cavalry Division. John volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan and served at part of the Combined Joint Task Force-180 in June to December of 2003.
Immediately upon his return, John took Command of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th United States Cavalry, and in 3 and ½ months deployed with his command to Iraq. During that tour, John’s Company saw heavy action throughout Baghdad and Sadr City, and even though the fighting was heavy, not one member of John’s company lost their lives during that deployment, and accomplishment he holds as one of the greatest and most important in his life. Upon his return from Iraq, John served in positions of continued greater responsibility to include Chief of Operations and Division Chief. That is also when he was selected to attend Graduate School at the University of Central Florida.
John had always loved Florida from his family childhood trips, but it was during this time he fell in love with Orlando and decided it would be his home. He graduated from UCF in December of 2008 with a Master’s of Science Degree in Computer Modeling and Simulation, completing the required coursework in only 16 months. He retired from the military in 2012, with over 27 combined years of service to this nation. During his time in the military, His awards and decorations included The Bronze Star Medal with “V” Device for Valor in Combat with two Oak Leaf Clusters (Three Awards), The Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters (Three Awards) the Army Commendation Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster (Six Awards and the Army Achievement Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters (Five Awards) as well as the Order of St. George. John and his wife Evelyn moved back to Orlando in 2013, and their son, Miles was born here in October of that year. John has worked with several different companies since departing the military, learning first-hand the struggles of finding a good job, and the difficulty with today’s economy. John, with already a lifetime of service behind him, stands ready to continue the fight for the residents of the 7th District.