Photo By Mark Orders-Woempner | Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Paul L. Morrissette and his wife Renee Warren-Morrissette...... read more read more
From Babe Ruth to Michael Jordan; from Neil Armstrong to Sally Ride; and from Chuck Berry to Cher, halls of fame exist across the professions of sports, science, the arts and more to signify those who’ve made enormous impacts on their professions and left enduring legacies for generations to come.
This holds true for retired Command Sgt. Maj. Paul L. Morrissette, who was made the third inductee and first noncommissioned officer inductee of the U.S. Army Finance and Comptroller Hall of Fame during a special ceremony at the Soldier Support Institute on Fort Jackson, South Carolina, April 26.
“From the moment he entered into the U.S. Army, he embraced a life of service with a commitment to defend the freedoms we hold dear,” said Col. Michelle M. Williams, U.S. Army Finance and Comptroller School commandant and Chief of the Finance Corps. “Throughout his distinguished career, he faced challenges that tested his resolve, yet he met each obstacle with unwavering determination and a sense of duty.
“Paul exemplified the best of what it means to serve with honor and integrity.”
“Paul was my battle buddy when I served as the commandant here,” recalled Robert Speer, former acting Secretary of the Army and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller. “…He continued to develop, lead and make sure his legacy of enduring impact was tremendous.”
Speer went on to say Morrissette was the primary example of what a finance Soldier should be in the Profession of Arms and encouraged the U.S. Army Finance Corps to remain professional and guide the future.
The National Defense University defines the Profession of Arms as more than just a vocation.
Richard M. Swain and Albert C. Pierce wrote in the “Armed Force Officer,” published by NDU, that it is “a higher calling to serve others, to sacrifice self, to be about something larger than one’s own ambitions and desires, something grander than one’s own contributions and even one’s own life…with special expertise, a collective and individual responsibility to serve society, a sense of corporateness, and a professional ethic and ethos.”
By all accounts of those taking part in the ceremony, Morrissette is the epitome of that definition.
A native of Fulton, Alabama, he began his active-duty service in October 1972 at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. He completed basic combat training at Fort Johnson, formerly Fort Polk, Louisiana, and advanced individual training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, as a clerk typist and finance specialist.
Throughout his military career, spanning more than 30 years, Morrissette served in various leadership roles, including senior enlisted advisor positions and overseas assignments.
Those include serving as a command sergeant major for the 101st Finance Battalion, as the first Finance Corps Soldier selected to serve as a CSM of the 45th Corps Support Group, and as the Finance Corps regimental and CSM of the U.S. Army Finance and Comptroller School.
“He’s been in everything,” said Speer. “He’s been in budget and accounting, he’s been in disbursing, he’s been in military pay; he’s broad-based in his technical competence, but he’s been a leader in addition to that.”
During the ceremony, Morrissette was recognized as “the Godfather” of the modern Army Finance Corps for “his unwavering commitment to the core values of the Finance Corps.”
Even with hall-of-fame recognition on top of numerous military and civilian awards including the Legion of Merit and Distinguished Member of the Regiment and Brigadier General Goetz Medallions, the retired CSM said he could have accomplished nothing on his own.
“There’s an African proverb that truly resonates with me that says if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together,” said Morrissette after receiving his hall of fame regimental lapel pin from his wife, Renee Warren-Morrissette. “I thank God for guiding me in my steps and placing some amazing people on my path throughout this journey.”
After thanking God, he went on to thank Renee for her support as his wife; his ex-wife wife Celia for her support and encouragement during the earlier portion of his career as she allowed him to focus on his career by taking care of their two children; and his children, Michael Morrissette and Myesha Morrissette-Johnson.
He also recognized his stepdaughters Mesha and India Deramus along with his 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Signifying the historic importance of the event, all active Army Finance Corps general officers were in attendance for the ceremony, except one.
Official duty kept Brig. Gen. Paige M. Jennings, U.S. Army Financial Management Command commanding general, away from the event, but her presence was still felt and served as a testament to Morrissette’s legacy.
“I was there at her promotion ceremony [to brigadier general], and she recognized several individuals who supported her career, but she said, ‘I’ve got one individual who has to stand up – I’m here because of him,’” recalled Speer. “’I’m here because of the way he trained and guided me,’ and I know, to that end, I know I’m here because of the Soldiers and NCOs who gave me the technical competence, who gave me the love for Soldiers, and that’s what Paul Morrissette instilled in the future leaders of the Finance Corps.”
After retiring from the Regular Army in 2003, Morrissette joined the Defense Finance and Accounting Service and held various leadership positions. During this time, he was noted for contributing significantly to the organization's operational efficiency and cost-saving initiatives.
Morrissette retired from DFAS in 2015 but said he wanted to continue to serve the Finance Corps. So, in 2018, he started the first of what would be three consecutive two-year terms as the Finance Corps Association president.
“That’s because he cares, and every time I dealt with Paul Morrissette, he was about the legacy of you, the legacy of Soldiers [and] the legacy of the Finance Corps,” said Speer to the Soldiers and Department of the Army civilians gathered for the ceremony. “He served what was to be a two-year term for six years as FCA president because he cares about the professionalism of the Finance Corps.”
Reflecting on his philosophy of leadership as a professional financial management Soldier and NCO, Morrissette pointed back to retired Command Sgt. Maj. Wayne Ingall, who mentored him throughout his career.
“He was all about Soldiers and teaching and imparting what he knew,” he said. “I was a sergeant in charge of the control section at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, and one of the things he told me is if you are going to be a leader, that means you are going to have to make some sacrifices.
“And he said, ‘you don’t ever think about yourself; you always think about the Soldiers entrusted to you,’” he continued. “He said, ‘I can guarantee you that if you take care of those guys, the leaders, your bosses are going to take care of you, but if all you do is go out there and think about yourself, we really don’t need you in the military, especially the Finance Corps.’”
That was a lesson Morrissette put into practice, and in honor of his leadership and dedication born from that lesson, the Army FCS established the Paul L. Morrissette Leadership Award in July 2016.
The award is presented to outstanding enlisted graduates of the Financial Management Senior Leadership Course who demonstrate exemplary leadership, professionalism and selfless service, reflecting Morrissette's enduring legacy within the Finance Corps.
Concluding the ceremony and his remarks, Morrissette once again thanked everyone for allowing him to serve the Army and the Finance Corps for more than four decades.
“Helen Keller said it best when she said, ‘alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,’ and I think that over the last 40-something years that we have done some amazing things in the finance world,” he concluded. “I am grateful that you all allowed me to be a part of this great work.”
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The U.S. Army Finance Corps originated on June 16, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress introduced a resolution appointing a Paymaster General of the Army. Since that day, the U.S. Army provided financial service via finance personnel who were either organized in separate elements or integrated into existing units of the Army.
The Finance Corps Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the interests of the Finance Corps with a mission to foster a spirit of goodwill and cooperative endeavor among members, to perpetuate friendships and traditions and to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the history of the Finance Corps and the Finance Regiment.
The Finance and Comptroller Hall of Fame was established by the FCA on August 31, 2016, to recognize individuals that make positive and lasting contributions to the Finance Corps.
(Editor’s note: The FCA is a non-profit and non-governmental organization that supports members of the Army Finance Corps. No mention of the FCA in this article states or implies U.S. government endorsement of the FCA. Furthermore, FCA membership is not a prerequisite to be inducted into the Finance and Comptroller Hall of Fame.)
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2024 16:09 |
| Story ID: | 470175 |
| Location: | FORT JACKSON, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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