{"id":445056,"date":"2026-09-23T11:23:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T11:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/445056\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T11:23:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T11:23:02","slug":"the-geometry-of-gratitude-how-bezan-morris-found-his-final-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/445056\/","title":{"rendered":"The geometry of gratitude: How Bezan Morris found his final post"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"&quot;byline&quot;\">by Scott Nishimura, Fort Worth Report <br \/>September 21, 2026<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Stories of Honor: Bezan Morris\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q0Ml7UKzHU4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p>They say the campus visit is the biggest factor in where kids go to school. As a seventh grader, Bezan Morris got to tag along when an older brother visited the U.S. Naval Academy on a college tour.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe got in the car after the visit, and we were heading home,\u201d Morris remembered. \u201cAnd my mom asked, \u2018What do you think?\u2019 And I said, \u2018This is it. I\u2019m in. Where do I sign up?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morris followed his two older brothers, both of whom are career Navy, into the service. He graduated from the Naval Academy and went into the Marine Corps, serving from 1999 to 2005 with two tours in Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>These days, Morris is a wealth strategist and financial adviser in Fort Worth for Purewater Capital LLC. He is also board president of Cowtown Warriors, a nonprofit founded in 2013 that helps veterans who are facing hardships. Cowtown Warriors reports it has raised more than $2.6 million since its inception and helped more than 150 North Texas veterans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust knowing a couple guys, meeting them throughout Fort Worth, and kind of understanding what the organization was all about, and then going from there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>To hear Morris tell it, it was almost inevitable that he went into the service and, once discharged, found a way to continue serving.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0721-BezanMorris-10-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-708875\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4993058769088385\"\/>An antenna flag, used during large-scale movements to designate where a commanding officer is within a caravan, was gifted to Bezan Morris when he left his infantry unit. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0721-BezanMorris-08-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-708872\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4993058769088385\"\/>An Iraqi flag Bezan Morris found in a small college in Baghdad, where his unit made a stronghold, sits in his office. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\">Branch: United States Marine Corps\u00a0<br \/>Rank: O-3, Captain\u00a0<br \/>Years in service: 1999-2005<br \/>Current title: Wealth Strategist for Purewater Capital\u00a0<br \/>Definition of service: Removing roadblocks for others<\/p>\n<p>His parents emigrated to the United States from India and settled in New Jersey. They instilled gratitude and patriotism in their sons, Morris said. All three boys became Eagle Scouts, played sports in school and were leaders from young ages. His oldest brother served 30 years in the Navy, his other brother, 27.<\/p>\n<p>Of his immigrant parents, Morris said, \u201cThey believed in America, they believed in service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morris still remembers every detail of his visit to the Naval Academy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can even distinctly remember walking into Bancroft Hall, which is the main dormitory, and there was a picture of a Marine officer and that picture is still burning (in my memory),\u201d Morris said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do. That\u2019s my calling. That\u2019s really what spurred it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He has keepsakes from his military career: a faded unit command flag that was once flown from the antenna of a 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines battery commander\u2019s Humvee.<\/p>\n<p>Morris\u2019 battery commander routinely took the flag down, but as the company\u2019s executive officer, he would figure out a way to retain it and tie it back up.<\/p>\n<p>When Morris transferred out of the unit, the commander handed him the flag: &#8220;Here, you want it?\u201d Morris recalled him saying. \u201cYou enjoyed it so much, it\u2019s yours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morris also grabbed an Iraqi banner and still has it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was on the wall, and I yanked it down,\u201d Morris said. \u201cAnd I remember taking it into one of our intelligence units, and they translated it for me, so apparently what I believe it says is \u2018Yes, yes for Saddam Hussein, death to Americans and Zionism.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/MorrisArchival-01-1024x614.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-727418\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6661310021212317\"\/>Bezan Morris and his friend 1st Lt. Brian Curtis with two Malaysian infantry officers. This was Morris\u2019 first deployment from February to August 2001. (Courtesy | Bezan Morris)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/MorrisArchival-02-1024x614.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-727417\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6661310021212317\"\/>Bezan Morris and five officers from his battery returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom in May 2003. They were on-board the USS Dubuque in the Pacific Ocean. (Courtesy | Bezan Morris)<\/p>\n<p>He and a small group of fellow officers also got to have dinner with Gen. Jim Mattis, then part of the combat command in Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t appreciate it at the time,\u201d Morris said. \u201cI just remember sitting there. Years later, it\u2019s like, why didn\u2019t I ask more questions? Why didn\u2019t I spend more time? We were all uptight, and he was trying to loosen everybody up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morris\u2019 first deployment was before Sept. 11, 2001, and was an exercise in Asia. He came home in August that year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you know, Sept. 11, and that changed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His second deployment was in 2003 during the Iraqi invasion, where he was a battery executive officer.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when it hit home for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe exact day, March 20, 2003, and it was the day that combat operations kicked off,\u201d he said. \u201cI just remember the day before, understanding this is real now. It\u2019s no longer a training exercise. There is really somebody going to shoot back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morris remembers the gratitude he felt later on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was fortunate,\u201d he said. \u201cWe left with 164 Marines and sailors, we came home with all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/MorrisArchival-03-1024x614.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-727416\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6661310021212317\"\/>Bezan Morris pulling into Pearl Harbor in June 2003, before returning to California. (Courtesy | Bezan Morris)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/MorrisArchival-04-1024x614.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-727414\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6661310021212317\"\/>An Iraqi tank that Morris says his unit fired on during Operation Iraqi Freedomin April 2003. (Courtesy | Bezan Morris)<\/p>\n<p>Once back in the United States, he left that unit and was assigned to a staff job at Camp Pendleton, California. When he joined the service, he thought he might make a career in the military. But \u201cat this point, I was kind of thinking I might be done,\u201d he said. \u201cIt might be time for me to go do something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the service, Morris worked in commercial construction and in e-commerce. He and his wife \u2014 an Oklahoma native \u2014 made their way to Fort Worth in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMade another career here,\u201d he said. \u201cBecame a wealth manager. Got my licenses, and have been doing that for the last eight years full time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Seven years ago, he became active with the Cowtown Warriors, serving as treasurer and becoming president in April.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first treasurer had it for about six years, I ended up having it for about six years,\u201d Morris said. \u201cIt was unintentional. Both of us were in the finance world. It was like, \u2018Who\u2019s the guy that\u2019s good at math? You\u2019re the treasurer.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Looking back on his military career, he said there were times when he missed the mark.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d love to tell you I was a fantastic lieutenant. No, I was a knucklehead. I did stupid things. I lost my temper for little things,\u201d he said. \u201cYears later, if there\u2019s any of my Marines out there that are watching, I hope I\u2019ve learned. I\u2019ve grown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0721-BezanMorris-09-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-708873\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0721-BezanMorris-15-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-710550\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">A large banner Bezan Morris found during operations in Iraq sits in his office. The text on the banner translates to \u201cYes, yes for Saddam Hussein, death to Americans and Zionism,\u201d according to members of an intelligence unit attached to Morris\u2019 infantry division. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n<p>Scott Nishimura is a senior editor for local government accountability and a Fort Worth City Hall reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Reach him at <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/09\/21\/the-geometry-of-gratitude-how-bezan-morris-found-his-final-post\/mailto:scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/about\/fort-worth-report-editorial-independence-policy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/09\/21\/the-geometry-of-gratitude-how-bezan-morris-found-his-final-post\/&#8221;&gt;article&lt;\/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org&#8221;&gt;Fort Worth Report&lt;\/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/&#8221;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&#8221;https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&#8221;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>&lt;img id=&#8221;republication-tracker-tool-source&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=727838&amp;amp;ga4=2820184429&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1px;height:1px;&#8221;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &#8220;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/09\/21\/the-geometry-of-gratitude-how-bezan-morris-found-his-final-post\/&#8221;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;\/script&gt; &lt;script id=&#8221;parsely-cfg&#8221; src=&#8221;\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/fortworthreport.org\/p.js&#8221;&gt;&lt;\/script&gt;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Scott Nishimura, Fort Worth Report September 21, 2026 They say the campus visit is the biggest factor&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445057,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[116,118,117,1677,1698],"class_list":["post-445056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-stories-of-honor","tag-stories-of-honor-veterans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=445056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=445056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}