UT MARTIN ALUM TO BE HONORED IN HISTORY CHANNEL SPECIAL
MARTIN, Tenn. – Marine Capt. Brent Morel, a 1999 graduate of the University of Tennessee at
Martin, was killed in combat near Fallujah, Iraq, on April 7, 2004. This Veteran’s Day, the
History Channel will launch a series called “The Warfighters,” an episode of which will feature
the insurgent attack in which Morel died defending his fellow Marines.
Four episodes of the series will premier back-to- back beginning at 7 p.m. Central Time, Nov. 11,
on the History Channel. Morel’s actions will be included in episode 112: “The Ambush of April
7 th .” The series is composed of first-person accounts combined with cinematic sequences and real
images and footage from actual Middle Eastern operations.
Morel, a Martin native and graduate of Bartlett High School, was part of a convoy on patrol near
Fallujah when it drove into a trap. After the lead Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade,
Morel positioned his vehicle to protect his comrades. An RPG hit his Humvee as well, injuring
no one but leaving his men in a dangerous position.
As company commander, Morel had to make a difficult decision in a matter of moments. In the
end, he and several of his men ran across open terrain to confront the insurgents and, in the
words of his men, “changed the momentum of the battle.” Morel was the only American killed in
the assault.
For his actions, Morel posthumously received the Purple Heart and the Navy Cross, the second-
highest military recognition after the Medal of Honor.
“The Warfighters,” directed by Peter Berg, aims to give viewers an inside look at the global war
on terror by chronicling recent U.S. Special Operations Forces missions. Each hour-long episode
highlights the courage, dedication and sacrifice of the Army Rangers, Green Berets, Marines and
Navy SEALS in what is now the longest ongoing conflict in American history.
“We can never do enough to pay tribute to our vets and military servicemen. I’m incredibly
happy that History continues honoring these great men and women with ‘The Warfighters.’ This
series is special to me because we get to make it with veterans” said Berg in an interview with
Hollywood Reporter. More than 90 veterans participated in the series’ production.
A commemorative bust of Morel was presented to UT Martin during the Memorial Day
Commemoration Ceremony in 2005, a year after his death, and stands guard in the Paul Meek
Library to remind UT Martin students of the sacrifice made by one of their own. A plaque made
in his honor also hangs in the meeting room of the Skyhawk Veteran’s Association.
Morel’s parents, Mike and Molly, still live in Martin, and his niece is currently a freshman at UT
Martin.
A trailer can be viewed on youtube.com by searching “The Warfighters series.” Additional
episodes are scheduled to air in 2017.
