On the Fourth of July, We Honor Taylor Morris and All Cedar Falls Veterans

The Fourth of July is a day to celebrate our independence. It is also an important reminder of those who make sacrifices for our county. One of those people is Cedar Falls native Taylor Morris.

Many are now familiar with the story of Morris, who was last week. Morris, an explosives detection and disposal expert with the Navy,  on May 3. Out of more than 1,400 American amputees from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Morris is one of less than 10 surviving quadruple amputees.

Coming Monday, we'll publish a photo essay, courtesy of Morris' friend and photographer Tim Dodd, as well as a longer story about Morris, who is recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Today, here is an excerpt from an interview with Morris and his girlfriend Danielle Kelly. They corresponded with Patch via email from Walter Reed, and made it clear that despite everything they've been through, they're looking forward with hope.

Patch: What do you want readers to know about you, about what you’ve gone through and what comes next?

Kelly and Morris: "We are just two typical 23 year-olds that had an idea of what the rest of our life was supposed to look like, and on May 3 our life got turned upside down, to say the least. (Now) we figure out a way to make sure we have everything that we dreamed about beforehand."

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