Impromptu Meeting
Several weeks ago, when stopping in at Mike Garcia’s CA-25 Congressional Campaign office in Valencia, I was introduced to John Morales, and upon learning that he served in the U.S. Air Force, I urged him to meet for an interview.

Soon after, he sent me his military photos and we met for a pleasant conversation.  Here’s John’s story:

Foreign Exchange Student
John Santonio Morales was born July 14, 1971 in Pasadena, and a year later his family moved to San Diego near the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, where John lived until age 5.

It was there as a youngster that he became intrigued with jet planes.  In 1976, the Morales family relocated to Eagle Rock near Pasadena and Glendale, and John graduated from Eagle Rock High School.

John was an exceptional student and played on his school’s tennis team before becoming a foreign exchange student in Spain in his senior year.

While abroad, with his mother’s assistance, he applied to every U.S. Military Academy, and with Congressman Edward Roybal’s support, he was accepted by each one. John had visited Congressman Roybal’s Washington D.C. office and that galvanized the congressman’s support.

John S. Morales Air Force Photo

Air Force Academy
While considering which academy he would pursue, that summer, John visited the Naval Academy at Annapolis.

Having been raised in the dry climate of Southern California, John immediately noticed Maryland’s extreme humidity; thus he decided that Colorado’s climate was more agreeable, so he selected the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs.

Additionally, he was interested in their astronaut program.  John began attending the academy in the summer of 1989, graduating four years later with his Bachelor’s degree in chemistry and minor in foreign language.

Each semester, John made the Dean’s List and concluded his four years making the Superintendent’s List in academics.

During his academy experience, John had an opportunity to ride in an F-15 Fighter Jet and several helicopters, which inspired him to pursue becoming a pilot, but he was also attracted to law enforcement.

It’s noted that John’s father, Kenneth, served in the U.S. Army in Germany during its occupation following World War II, and John’s brother, Michael, also served in the Army years later.

Circle of Life
In early 1993, John’s mother tragically passed away, and shockingly, one year later, his father passed away while John attended the Air Force Academy, so those were very tough times for John and his family.

John realized early in life that his successes would come through his own hard work and perseverance, but meanwhile, on a positive note, John and his girlfriend, Gretchel Martinez, whom he met in high school, began dating during his freshman year.

John S. Morales Flying Huey Helicopter

John found flying Huey Helicopters was much to his liking, and in 1995, he took pilot training at Reese Air Force Base in Texas, first flying the fixed wing T-37 trainer.

Then he was off to Fort Rucker, Alabama for helicopter training.  In 1996, John earned his flight wings and finished No. 1 in academics in his training class.

The next few years, John served at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico and Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, California along the Pacific Coast.

John S. Morales Aerial Achievement Medal 3 Each

His primary responsibility at Vandenberg was flying Huey Helicopters for base security, fighting California wildfires, search and rescue, and clearing rocket launcher sites.

John said, “For me, I loved the Huey Helicopter and flying them was a blast. I worked 13 ‘named’ (significant) fires, and having won several awards doing so, I was tasked to help write our fire fighting regulations.”

It’s a Love Story
On Valentines Day 1996, John took Gretchel on a dinner date to an upscale Pasadena restaurant, and for a gift, he gave her the book, “Husbands and Wives,” but it was a clever ploy.

John had cut a space within the pages to place a small package containing a beautiful diamond engagement ring.  As Gretchel opened her surprise, John dropped to his knee, asking for her hand in marriage, automatically sending her into a state of shocked happiness.

John S. Morales Wedding

Their marriage ceremony was held on March 22, 1997 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pasadena.

John happily reported that he and Gretchel went on to have three wonderful children: Phoebe, Bruce and Diana.

John also proudly reported that their son, Bruce, is in his first year attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

John S. Morales Air Force Unit Patch 1

Honorable Discharge

In 2000, John received a top secret security classification and became an instructor pilot at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base.

John S. Morales National Defense Medal

During 2003, Captain John S. Morales was categorized as “Definite Promote,” and with 10 years of service, on August 1, 2003, he was promoted to major.

John’s unit was placed on high alert on the morning of September 11, 2001 as the horrific 9/11 terrorist attack materialized.

John’s unit’s helipad at the Pentagon’s west side was exactly where radical Islamic terrorists crashed their hi-jacked American Airlines Flight 77 passenger plane, killing 184 innocent people.

On May 16, 2004, John was honorably discharged at Andrews Air Force Base, and he then moved his family to Glendale, where they lived until moving to Valencia in 2009.

After leaving the Air Force, John joined an engineering firm that performed Department of Defense subcontracting for Raytheon Company, and next he became chief operating officer for a software start-up company.

He also earned his law degree from the University of California, Irvine School of Law in June 2016, and he became in-house counsel for another start-up company.

John S. Morales Wedding Dance

American Dream
I don’t think I have ever interviewed a veteran who is as content with life and loves his family more than John Santonio Morales.

His wife, Gretchel, is well-accomplished in her own right and loves being a stay-at-home mom these days.

Together, their mission in life is providing their children every opportunity to succeed educationally and maintaining a close family unit.

An important component in their lifestyle is their annual family vacations via road trips in America and to such destinations as Hawaii and Italy.

It’s clear that the Morales family is living their American dream.

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