Fallen Boy Scout Honored By Thunderbirds at Bethpage Air Show

WADING RIVER, NY — If Andrew McMorris had lived, he would have undoubtedly spent his life soaring high in the skies — his love of aviation ran deep in his heart and dreams.

But those dreams will never be realized: Andrew, 12, was killed when an alleged drunk driver plowed into his Boy Scout troop in late September.

This weekend, however, Andrew's spirit was flying high as he was honored at the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach by members of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

(McMorris family)

It was a day that was especially meaningful, said his parents, Alisa and John McMorris. The spent Saturday morning as they always would have, honoring veterans by placing flags at Calverton National Cemetery with Andrew's Boy Scout troop.

But Sunday — well, Sunday was all about the air show, a day that Andrew would, without a doubt, have adored, just as he had for the past 10 years of his young life.

"We were so honored by how kind and thoughtful the Air Force Thunderbirds were with us and for them paying homage to Andrew," John McMorris said. "Andrew loved the Thunderbirds, so it meant so much to us by what they did at the Air Show this weekend. Our deepest gratitude to the Thunderbirds. We missed Andrew so much, but their act of kindness to us brightened our day."

(McMorris family)

His family gave Andrew his own a chair with his picture at the airshow, Alisa said. "Remembering Andrew at the Airshow," she said.

As they headed to the show, they looked to the skies, where their sweet boy was surely flying, they said.

"Thank you to the Thunderbirds for fulfilling one of Andrew's dreams of flying in formation with you guys," the McMorris family said.

(McMorris family)

The McMorris family, Alisa said, went as guests of the Bethpage Federal Credit Union and had the opportunity to meet the pilots and give them each an "Andrew" bracelet, "so Andrew could fly with them as he had always dreamed of."

Alisa thanked the Bethpage Federal Credit Union, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and all the pilots.

"They helped us to get through one more first without Andrew," she said. "It was emotional to be there without him. But as one of his good buddies said, 'Mrs. McMorris, he is here." And, that he was."

(McMorris family)

As the pilots did a formation — the McMorris family was able to listen to the pilots through headphones — they said, "This is in memory of the legendary Andrew McMorris."

On Saturday, she added, the show was dedicated to Andrew. "He was the first person they mentioned and they remembered him and his love for flying," she said.

(McMorris family)

The holiday weekend began with a critical journey for the family as Mothers Against Drunk Driving representatives, elected officials, and families who have faced unthinkable loss gathered in New York City to advocate for change — and announce support for lowering New York State's threshold for alcohol impairment to .05 percent blood alcohol concentration.

The current threshold is .08%.

Also standing strong for change was Andrew's family.

For Andrew's mother, the days since his death have been a kaleidoscope of pain, with photographs and memories a reminder, every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, of the loss that ripped the fabric of her family's life forever.

"My heart has been broken and our lives shattered by something that was 100% avoidable — with the help of those around us we learn how to step forward with our grief," Alisa said. "Today we step forward in supporting this common sense legislation. At times, the weight of grief is too heavy to carry alone and we are grateful to our dear friends and family for helping us during this difficult time. Now I want to ask for your support — in letting our legislature know we support this bill."

In addition, the McMorris family has kept the precious memory their son — who loved aviation, theater, Scouting and music — alive through the "Andrew McMorris Foundation," raising awareness about drunk driving.

Among those attending the MADD event were Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz of Brooklyn — who has sponsored a bill to lower the BAC threshold statewide — and representatives from the National Safety Council, the National Transportation Safety Board and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

MADD National President Helen Witty said this year marks the first time MADD has endorsed state legislation in support of a .05 BAC limit, and will also support .05 legislation in states where it is introduced.

"We are proud to stand with Assistant Speaker Ortiz and Senator Liu and our many traffic safety partners today. MADD fought hard to pass a nationwide .08 BAC law that has saved more than 40,000 lives — and will continue to save lives. Yet drunk driving has increased by 9% since 2014. Likewise, drunk driving deaths have risen from fewer than 10,000 in 2014 to nearly 11,000 in 2017. Something has to change," she said.

She added: "A growing and undeniable body of research shows a statistically higher crash risk at .05 BAC — .05 is impairment. And it is a level a majority of Americans already support."

The risk of being in a fatal, single-vehicle crash is at least seven times higher for drivers with a .05 to .079 BAC than for drivers with no alcohol in their system, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

"Let me be clear: .05 is not typically one or two drinks after work," Witty said. " According to the Centers for Disease Control, a 160 lb. male would have to drink three drinks in an hour to reach a .05 BAC. The general public already thinks people should not drive after two or three drinks. Our support for this bill is not to stop people 21 and older from drinking alcohol. For nearly four decades, MADD has said the safest decision is to not drive after drinking."

The legislation is lifesaving, Witty added, stating that if all states adopted a .05 legal threshold, alcohol-impaired deaths could drop by more than 11 percent, saving 1,790 lives a year.

According to MADD, drunk driving still kills more people on the nation's roads than anything else, including distracted driving.

"This violent, 100 percent preventable crime is on the rise, claiming nearly 11,000 lives in 2017 alone — a 9% increase from 2014," MADD said.

Currently, MADD added, New York is one of a handful of states that allows a person who drives with a BAC of .05% to .08% to be charged with a penalty — driving while ability impaired by alcohol. However, instead of being used to charge drivers with a .05 to .08 BAC, it is more widely used to plea down DWI charges, MADD said.

If passed, New York would become the second state to lower the BAC to .05%; the first was Utah.
Other states are considering bills to lower state DUI threshold from .08% to .05%, including California and Michigan; KSL.com said, adding that currently, Utah remains the only state with a .05 percent blood alcohol content threshold since the law went into effect Dec. 30, 2018.

"Part of the vision was we're not just going to save lives in Utah, we're going to end up saving lives in other states, too, because they will follow along with our example. Now we're starting to see that happening, and it's what I hoped to see," Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, said in the KSL.com post.

Countries including Argentina, Germany, France, Spain, Australia, and Turkey also have .05% BAC limits, according to BACtrack.com, the KSL.com post.

"There's a big difference in cognitive abilities between .08 and .05, and this bill could save lives," New York State Sen. John Liu, a sponsor of New York's bill, told KSL.com.

Some, however, feel the bill may face opposition where proposed: According to a post in the Enterprise-Record, an American Beverage Institute spokesman has said alcohol-industry trade organization advocates other initiatives to combat drunk driving, including increased enforcement of ignition interlock device "breathalyzer" requirements; in California, a breathalyzer requirement for some DUI offenders commenced on Jan. 1.

With statistics indicating that an average of 1 alcohol-impaired driving fatality taking place every 50 minutes, the bill, which is headed to the New York Senate and Assembly to change the law from .08% to .05%, could save thousands of lives every year, the McMorris family said.

While both of Andrew's parents spoke at the event on Friday, they were proud that their daughter Arianna shared the findings of her AP seminar research paper "on why New York State should change the BAC from .08% to .05%. We hope and pray that this bill gets passed in New York State and then, hopefully, all around the country. Drunk driving is a violent and preventable crime that claims too many lives. If the laws change, thousands of lives will be saved," John McMorris said.

He added: "We hope and pray this bill get gets through the New York State Legislature by the end of the session and saves thousands of lives nationwide. We do this in Andrew's honor and all those affected by drunk driving."

"We want this to have a catalyst effect nationwide in changing the legal BAC level from 0.8% to .05%," Arianna said. "New York State can join with others states in creating a nationwide change to drunk driving culture and social norms. This change will create a positive impact on Americans and save thousands of lives."

Meanwhile, there stands before them an upcoming June 11 court date for Thomas Murphy, 59, of Holbrook, who was charged in the fatal DWI crash that killed Andrew and arraigned in October on a 16-count indictment — including reports that the man had been drinking since 9 a.m. and had been offered a ride due to his level of intoxication, which he refused, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini.

The McMorris family, as well as scores of friends and Scouts, have attended previous court dates, carrying Andrew's photo and speaking from their hearts about their rally for justice.