Maj. Gen. Mark Morrell ’99 likely had no idea he was setting his bar low when he started pursuing his childhood dream of flying fighter jets. 
His decorated military career has roared past that benchmark since graduating from South Dakota State, including last summer, when Morrell was appointed the adjutant general of the South Dakota National Guard by Gov. Kristi Noem ’11.
Morrell is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, is qualified as an instructor pilot and is both a graduate of and former instructor at the United States Air Force Weapons School. He has taken part in training operations in South Korea, Alaska, Italy, Japan and Jordan and has also deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel along with NATO’s Resolute Support Mission. His list of achievements, medals and awards is even longer.
The Bon Homme County native grew up between Tyndall and Springfield in southeast South Dakota. He saw fighter jets for the first time when he was about 5 years old, sitting in an old fishing boat on the Missouri River with his father and grandfather. Fighter jets from the 114th Fighter Wing in Sioux Falls were training on a low-level route over the river.
“They came scorching right over the river, and I thought, ‘Wow! Do real people from the sticks in South Dakota get to do stuff like that? … As a little kid, I was just enamored from that moment on.” But flying is expensive, and with limited resources, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to pursue that dream until he left for college.
Morrell said while both of his parents graduated from the University of South Dakota and became educators, he decided to attend SDSU for its U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program, “an organization that provided an opportunity to make the dream of flying jets a reality.”
“That was a natural fit for me. I gravitated to the sense of discipline it provided, and moreover, I had an inherent desire to live a life of service, an example set by both my parents. … They worked very hard their entire lives serving and coaching students in our rural communities,” Morrell said.
Morrell graduated in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and was a distinguished graduate of the USAF Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 780. He considered pursuing an advanced degree, but when the U.S. Air Force selected him for pilot training, he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to explore a longstanding passion for aviation.
Morrell was commissioned and joined the active-duty Air Force the same day he graduated from State, as did his future wife, Jessica, a ’99 grad from the College of Nursing. He ended up in the southern U.S., where he earned a private pilot’s license, then entered USAF pilot training and eventually F16 school.
After 12 years of active duty and being stationed all over the globe, Morrell transitioned home to serve full time in the South Dakota National Guard. The majority of his SDNG service was in the 114th Fighter Wing in Sioux Falls, culminating with command positions at the squadron, group and wing levels. His selection as adjutant general was announced in April 2023, and he assumed command in August 2023.
“Being a fighter pilot is both mentally and physically demanding. It takes years of steady hard work, and I truly enjoyed the pursuit of excellence in it,” he said.
Morrell, wife Jessica ’99 and their three daughters now make their home in Brandon. Jessica served on active duty as a clinical nurse for seven years and then used the GI Bill to pursue a master’s degree and become a nurse practitioner. She now owns and operates a women’s health clinic, Radiant Health & Hormone Therapy, in the Sioux Falls area.
Morrell has offices at Joint Force Headquarters in Rapid City, at the SDANG headquarters in Sioux Falls, and the Department of the Military in Pierre.
“I’m responsible for over 4,300 soldiers, airmen and civilians who work in the Department of the Military and the South Dakota National Guard. We have a two-part mission; the first part is to be ready to defend the homeland, deter aggression and if necessary, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Morrell said.
“The second part of our mission is to be community-based citizen-warriors where we are ready for disaster response, civil unrest or any nature of emergency that might arise. Your National Guard is there to help community members and neighbors in their hour of need.”
Morrell doesn’t have a “typical” workday. His role involves making sure all the South Dakota National Guard’s men and women in uniform are ready for the most demanding tasks, postured to serve and protect communities, and ready for the nation’s worst days ahead. His job as a cabinet secretary also comes with legislative and political implications, ensuring necessary policy is in place to support soldiers/airmen in their service to the state.
Morrell’s duties also include a fair amount of travel, specifically to the South American country of Suriname, South Dakota National Guard’s 18-year military partner, to exchange ideas and build partnerships.
His favorite part the job so far is “the honor of serving with our citizen-warriors in our great state of South Dakota and the culture in the Midwest. It’s a truly a unique and exceptional group of people. It’s such demanding work, and it’s an honor to try to serve as a valuable member of their team.”
Morrell called his time at SDSU formative, including both the academic and ROTC opportunities.
“I’m such a big fan of what SDSU does both to and for young people in our state. … The thing I remember most about my time there is the people. I was working around and with such a high caliber and character of people who I found both inspiring and challenging.”
Jill Fier
