The father of a West Point cadet who died in a tragic accident called his son a “hero” on Friday, one day after the young man’s vehicle overturned and rolled at least 15 feet down a steep embankment.
Christopher C. Morgan held a framed picture of his 22-year-old son Christopher J. Morgan as he spoke about the fallen cadet outside their West Orange, NJ, home.
“He was my first son. He was an inspiration to me and my family. He was my hero,” grieving father Christopher C. Morgan said.
“I loved him very much like any parent loved their son. I miss talking to him, I miss his smile, I miss hearing about what he’s doing. No father should have to bury their child.”
The younger Morgan, a at West Orange High School, was killed when a military vehicle overturned at the New York military academy on Thursday.
Morgan mentioned that another son, Colin Morgan, had recently joined the West Point Class of 2023.
“My younger son wants to follow in his footsteps,” the dad said.
“He didn’t decide that two days ago, he decided that years ago and there’s no stopping that pursuit. I’ll never stop him from doing what he wants to do or force him in any specific direction because it’s his life and his future.”
Before the crash, the vehicle was headed along a dirt road in “hilly, mountainous terrain.” It overturned and rolled down some 15 to 20 feet, coming to a rest on a rocky area.
The cadet’s former coach, Stephen Zichella, remembered Morgan as “the hardest-working kid.”
Zichella added, “He was one of our best wrestlers and everyone in this community is feeling this loss.”